gzenon

It's all about mixing together a cast of excellent actors, good scripts, nice effects, and, to top it all off, truly witty dialogue. Really, everything written by Jeff from Wisconsin is true. The show and the characters tackle serious crimes, but they do it with style. The cast really does work well together. The characters respect each other, but they don't let that get in the way of constantly barraging each other with barbs and sarcastic comments. You can't help but relate to them--they're the kind of people you'd like to go drinking with--there's something appealing about each one. But the wit is what puts it over the edge. This is wit like The Thin Man, like Bogie, like Jimmy Stewart. Good stuff. Who would have guessed.

Oh, and the music by is by Mark Snow. Enough said.

An all-around great movie, the biggest flaw some of the soundtrack choices (I'd have gone with more 90s and less 70s-early80s). The story is both timeless and cliche, but it's a great idea--that a person can change his destiny, take control of his life, do it with courage, rely on good friends. What makes this film work is how it all comes together. The acting is great--all solid actors, they actually work well together and imbibe their characters with personality. It's definitely a group effort. Good cast choices, too. The writing also works; the dialogue witty, combining period-piece substance with modern attitude. The sets really take you back, the fact it was shot in Prague makes it all quite believable--the extras' ancestors surely saw their fair share of jousts. Also, there are so many little things that are part of a well-done movie, from the armor to all the hints of Chaucer. Many detractors cite the anachronistic soundtrack, but it works because it lets us in our time relate to the period of film. Definitely something to watch more than once and add to your collection.