thomas.meagher

The highlight of the film is the work between De Vito and Hackman - two hucksters getting heated over loot. As an added benefit Ricky Jay - the solid character actor - offers his usual dead-pan best.

Several folks mention the film is somewhat "talky". It is less so that "State & Main", but more so than most action films. It is not that great a detraction.

What seemed unique to this Mamet film was how well he created a shoot-out scene. Without stupid macho maxed out fire power, it was a engaging scene, making fearsome circumstances very real.

Good film.

A memorable film. The lead actresses are riveting, as is the lead male in the role of a film director.

Are there slow plodding moments as critics mention? Yes, actually a couple.

Are the ending frames more governed by filming-style then by plot-line? Yes, but one can unlock that logic.

But the characters are engaging and the suspense is tangible. So really - a good movie.

Jude Law looks great, but his role lacks depth ... Some scenes seem explicitly borrow from Mad-Max or TV scifi ... Other scenes are interesting mostly because of the dynamic forces put in opposition to each other. The strength of the acting - except for the well played central character of the boy robot - is hampered by the writing. This film was designed to be supported by studio computer animation.

An hour into the film, I was certain my wife would let us depart - but doggedly, she made us hang on. I think the film does pick-up in the later half, yet over-all, this murky textured film does not have enough humanity to be interesting or enjoyable.