Review by daveyc-54705

This film, at the moment, should be considered Christopher Nolan's masterpiece. That's right. Christopher Nolan, master of epic action movies, has made his best work in what should be considered a hybrid of historical biopic and political thriller. This movie has more in common with something like JFK or All The President's Men than it does with Inception or The Dark Knight Trilogy. If you realize that ahead of time, or can come to grips with it while viewing, you'll be handsomely rewarded.

With any movie, there are a few things even a huge admirer can disagree with. I'll say what most people said, it's way too long for lacking the usual action of a Nolan movie. I noticed at least 20-30 minutes worth of material that could have been cut without sacrificing the story or the tension. I watched this at home and decided to split it in half and watch it on 2 separate nights. So maybe that's why it didn't feel like a massive undertaking for me. I think if I would have had to sit through it in the theater, I might be less pleased with it.

The cast was hit or miss for me. The main cast were all fantastic, with all their awards and nominations well deserved. I'm a massive fan of RDJ's non-Marvel work, and I think this is his best performance. I just didn't need a big name for almost EVERY role. I could have done without Jack Quaid, Josh Peck, and even Gary Oldman. I'd even argue Florence Pugh's entire storyline could have been cut.

So why my high rating? Those 2 things are my only real bones to pick in what I think is still a completely engrossing thriller. I have to make special mention of the score for making normal, dialogue-focused scenes feel extremely intense. I'm a big fan of history-based movies. So admittedly, the subject matter was already in my wheelhouse. Casual Nolan fans might have been mad if they expected big action sequences. But if you haven't seen it yet, and understand it for what it actually IS, you will be very pleasantly surprised.