warnerdang

A mediocre outing from a typically stellar director and main cast. While this movie had "sparks" of Soderbergh, it lacks his overall command and follow-through. The story which could have been far more interesting lacks depth and overall shoes general malaise. While the pacing wasn't terrible, near the end it tends to ramp up far too quickly and the main antagonist is never fully exposed. While this may be intentional to keep audiences guessing, the overall lack of story arc makes that unlikely. This feature is as enjoyably as it's forgettable, you already know where you are going and how you are getting there. There was little misdirection that would be expected from a spy thriller or a "who dunnit" flick. Blanchett and Fastbender delivered good but very ordinary performances.

By far not the worst movie I have watch this year and at least it's not a sequel/prequal/reboot or some lame IP - there was an attempt at something fresh, maybe cinema will eventually return.

After you finish watching this 'gem' you will understand that Sandler was indeed Oscar "subbed" over this role. With previous dramatic roles such as Punch Drunk Love and Reign over Me more than a decade before this, he had already shown that as a true comedian he could go to the next level of drama. The psychological aspect of this movies instills anxiety in you but not from the perspective of an adrenaline fueled ideology, but because the directors do such a fabulous job of bringing you into his world and you truly begin to empathize with his decision making process. Scorsese's EP credit is well deserved as much of his "book or business" can be seen through this film.

As a fan of much (but not all) of Sandlers comedic antics, I hope to see more from his at this level of complexity and vigour.