rhoughton

This movie is rather well done but Val Kilmer doesn't really seem to have the necessary stuff to carry the lead. His actions and reactions seem all to predictable, even when the plot isn't. I think I would have picked some other actor for the role. The ending is a little unsatisfying and seemed not quite all tied up as it hinted it was. Ed O'Neill and William H. Macy are wasted in their roles and I feel that they could have added a lot more to the movie if they'd been allowed to. I enjoyed Derek Luke's performance but why is that they always knock off the black side-kick? It would be nice to see one of them survive now and then. Overall, a pretty good watch.

If there is a story here, I couldn't find it. It constantly jumped into flashbacks and flash forwards without any reference points at all which only served to confuse. Some people will think this is a clever film, probably because they don't understand it, and what they don't understand, they think must be very clever. The purpose of a motion picture is primarily to entertain. It may make you laugh, it may make you cry, it might challenge you and make you think, it may even do all of the above at the same time. But, a director needs to learn how to tell a story. I wonder if this guy has learned under David Lynch? He's as pretentious and confusing. For me, this film was a waste of time, because it had nothing to say at all.

If you haven't seen this film, there's more than enough been written on this page to tell you what it's about. But if you're expecting just another comment on race relations in America in the 1920s, you'd be very wrong. This is an horrific film. When the violence is finished, you feel as if you've been through it yourself. And to those who argue whether it's historically accurate, I say this: Does it really matter if there were 5 or 50 people killed? For even one person to die through a thing like this, is the ultimate wrong. After seeing this true story, can we even wonder why some black people in America still hate whites? And don't forget, this is only one story out of who knows how many. I found myself filled with anger at the injustice I was seeing, and it makes me even more determined to fight such injustice wherever it's found.