bkg0906

I almost whole-heartedly agree with a lot of the negative reviews, but this isn't a bad movie. The amped-up score, frenetic pace, editing, and all that shouting are representative of the addict's inner turmoil. Yes, this movie made me feel stressed out & out of sorts afterwards, like I needed a hot shower to wash off the grimey feeling & a warm bed to "sleep it off". But isn't that how Adam Sandler's character feels all the time, as he struggles with a gambling addiction that has clearly been spiraling out of control for some time now? It's very rare that a movie's style can make me feel the character's plight in such a visceral way.

But.. as much as I can comend the filmmakers for making that possible & as good as Sandler is in this film, his character is still a pretty terrible guy & I can't say this was a particularly enjoyable movie. Still, the people who gave this 1-star seem to have completely missed the point & maybe didn't know what they were waking into, as other Safdie films have a similar style.

I seem to be in the minority based on the negative reviews, but I don't start every movie EXPECTING award-caliber writing, direction, acting, editing, etc. ;)

I'm having a really hard time lately reading negative review after negative review all saying the same thing. I know it's due to social media making everyone feel their opinion is wanted, but if there's 50+ other negative reviews & you don't have anything new to add, why bother?

I was intrigued by the cast & description & ended up really enjoying this movie! The acting was fan-tas-tic by pretty much everyone. I was esp. Impressed by the girl who played Darla, I'll definitely be keeping an eye on her career. Frank Grillo, as usual, seems to disappear into his role. And it was fun to see Hartnett get to play a different sort of character, he was great!

There's def. Some plot holes & i could tell editing must have cut some useful scenes out, prob. For time. But all-in-all, an enjoyable crime thriller.