recurve7

I see a lot of reviewers feel this film was slow-paced and dull. But it's important to recognize the genre of a film in selecting it. This is noir. Noir is not supposed to be bright, fast, and exciting; noir is supposed to be dark, deliberate, and menacing -- and this film is a fine example.

The dialogue is spare and the performances understated to reflect the emptiness of these characters, especially Clive Owen as central character Will Graham, a formerly successful British city thug who returns from his self-imposed exile to investigate the death of his younger, party-boy brother Davey (Jonathan Rhys-Meyers).

Graham's return to the city threatens to re-open old wounds and re-entangle him in the old gangster life he has tried to leave behind and atone for while wandering the country. Each of the characters and the film itself struggles with the question of whether people can fundamentally change who they are, and escape their guilt, past misdeeds, life circumstances, and ultimately their fate.

The noir style is well-suited to such grim questions: most of the scenes take place at night, dusk, or dawn, and many of the camera shots capture the interplay of light and dark as a representation of the struggle between these aspects of the characters.

This is very much a character-driven film, not a plot-driven film. The plot moves slowly and revolves around one inevitable question that becomes apparent pretty early: How will Will Graham ultimately respond to the death of his brother? Is he still a killer? Or will his past catch up with him before he can catch up with the present? The epilogue of the film challenges the viewer by not spelling everything out in black and white, but rewards discussion with friends or consideration of the difference between right and deserved.

If the excellent performances, realistic sets, and brooding cinematography is not enough to sustain you through this good, 100-minute character buildup, feel free to blame directors such as Tony Scott and Michael Bay for robbing you of the attention-span to appreciate this quiet gem.

This show is surprisingly funny and entertaining for anyone despite its relatively unknown talent and obscure position on the Oh! cable-network -- targeted at women. Bree Turner, who plays the main character, Marjorie, seems to be maturing since I first caught her in MTV's even lower-budget show, "Undressed".

Not every joke hits the mark, but "Good Girls Don't..." is so nimble and rapid-fire that it generally keeps an amusing momentum going, completely side-stepping the dreadful predictability of network sitcoms. The absence of an insipid laugh-track is a welcome breath of fresh air, allowing the viewer to exercise some attention and judgment in appreciating its gamut of humor that bounces from subtle irony and satire to over-the-top farce, slapstick, and innuendo.

The actors, despite their freshness, generally handle the material very well. Any moments of inauthenticity are easy to overlook since the cast is very attractive. The sexual language and situations are not appropriate for younger viewers.