Reviews

This is, well, everyone, from Scorsese to the terrific cast to the outstanding writing, near or at the top of their game. First off, the story works for me. Being a remake of Infernal Affairs, the intricate and tricky juxtaposition of good and bad cops has already had a shake out; Scorsese wisely stays out of the way of a clever ballet of characters.

As good as the story is, this movie is really about the characters. And, given actors of the caliber of Jack Nicholson, Matt Damon and Leonardo DiCaprio, those characters are fleshed out to the point of bursting. This is Nicholson in his prime, the Leonardo of the serious acting chops and Matt Damon filling out what could be a thankless role beyond the brim. Vera Farminga who is ideally cast as the person who anchors this cops and robbers world to the larger universe the rest of us inhabit. Mark Wahlberg and Martin Sheen are terrific, creating multidimensional people from what might otherwise have been one-dimensional stock characters. And if nothing else, Alec Baldwin has a great time with his part.

In a quick two and a half hours this movie moves briskly, and the finish is a sprint that will leave you breathless.

Personally this movie compares favorably to the best films I've seen in the past two or three years. Go see it -- you won't be sorry.

(NOTE: this movie has been described in other reviews as pretty gory, and while there aren't many blood splatters left on the cutting room floor, its not as bad as you might think.)

I Tivoed this figuring it was some kind of cheapy creeper that would at a later date fritter away an hour and change should a horror movie mood come over me. It was a surprise to see this movie instead. It had a wit and sense of humor without being funny. It had a little to unknown cast that carried their well-written roles with sincerity. The story was fine without getting in the way of the interplay of the characters.

I can't say enough about the acting. The father character (played by Ray Wise) starts off as an uptight father on his way to a less-than-thrilling evening with his in-laws -- but we soon see that he has a full three dimensions to him. The mother is pure 50's -- but there are a few surprises. The teenage son has an edge of realism that fleshes out what might otherwise be a caricature. And the daughter character adds a serious, somber aspect. Although this might sound like a bunch of stock characters, each is filled out more completely than is usually the case in these types of films, to the extent that you're happy to watch their interactions rather than simply wait for the next plot development.

I'll give it the ultimate honor: I'd watch it again.

This is arguably the best episode of any show I've ever seen. Strong words but the episode backs it up. It builds slowly as the kind of lecture you'd expect from House, with an off-the-wall topic and several strange turns. But subtly, without your even sensing it, it hits you with the real meaning of the topic House is expounding on. Like the best episodes it packs an incredible amount of plot and emotion and drama into 60 minutes, and before its over you're left breathless and on the edge of your seat.

I generally like House but this episode stunned me. It made watching a television show into an experience in a way few episodes of few series ever have, at least for me.

You're handed one of the all-time greatest works of musical theatre to convert into a movie. It has compelling story lines, interesting characters and a thought-provoking field of subjects that ranges from the war in the Pacific to racism to many variations on the themes of love and loss. The music, lyrics and arrangements are arguably the supreme accomplishment of perhaps the greatest musical-producing team in theatre history.

Could you make a bad movie out of it? You or I might have a hard time trashing such sublimity. Unfortunately Joshua Logan and crew did not. The filters; good grief, what were they thinking. The languid pacing. The dubbing of all those vocals. John Kerr (no offense to him; he was miscast for this role). The standard issue performance turned in by poor Mitzi Gaynor. This was a play that cried out for real locations; what we get here is plastic. And filtered.

I don't know what Richard Rodgers or Oscar Hammerstein thought about this movie but they couldn't have been that happy with it.

This is a show that should have the sweep of the whole Pacific behind it. Instead the movie version leaves you wanting to catch it in the confines of some local high school theatre production. 'Nuf said.