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I would like to say how impressed I was with this film, which I just saw for the first time recently. In the wake of recent films such as Capote, Munich and Last King of Scotland, I think this film holds up very well and is both intensely moving and even-handed. I am surprised that John Furse has not made another film as this is a guy who has real talent. I hope that he gets to make another film soon as we really need filmmakers like him, who are not afraid to combine passion with intelligence and who also don't compromise their subject matter. In light of recent global events this film is more relevant now than ever. The acting was superb and the film was beautifully shot--see it if you get a chance.

Anyone else think this film is wildly overrated? Don't get me wrong, I'm a big Mann fan, but this is too long and too self-conscious with some of the most laughable dialogue ever (mostly spoken by Diane Venora, the actress who plays Pacino's wife)Check out the dialogue on the IMDb link if you want a good laugh. Also,the ending is way too sentimental and the whole Waingro/serial subplot should have been left on the cutting room floor. Just wondered if anyone else out there thought this film did not deserve the heaps of praise (Collateral is way better in my opinion) Great Moby track though. Also, how realistic was it to have De Niro and Pacino sit down in a coffee shop for a chat--why not just set in the police station? It would have been more believable--anyway, a pretty good, if flawed film, but certainly no classic. tip. check out John Flynn's The Outfit with Robert Duvall.

Having just seen this movie I cannot believe Jeff Bridges was not nominated for this performance (but after Paul Giametti getting overlooked this year, what do you expect) Perhaps people don't know what good acting is: not 'ACTING' but truth, naturalness, and a revelation of how people really behave--but Jeff is so subtle and unshowy that he just becomes the part (Kim Basinger was first rate too)Put this film up against the pretentious and showy twaddle that was American Beauty, and we see what a farce the Oscars really are. The monologue towards the end of this film where Jeff talks about the accident and the death of their two sons was heartbreaking--because it did not go for drama or histrionics, just pure, emotional truth. I urge people who have not seen this movie to please check it out--I don't think you will be sorry--if you are open to the possibility of films that treat you and respect you as an adult, and shows human beings in all their frailties in the most heartbreaking of experiences.