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A compelling and haunting piece of filmmaking.
by Yahoo! Movies User (movies profile)
Apr 3, 2005
42
of
60 people found this review helpful
21 Grams has generated so much buzz and hype until now that people are bound to watch the movie having very high expectations. Some will leave disappointed, some will leave thrilled, but in the end, I hope that most people enjoyed it as much as I did.
Three complete strangers are binded by a car crash. One is a religious ex-convict (Del Toro). The other is a math professor (Sean Penn) who has heart disease and is very close to death. The other is an ex-drug addict (Naomi Watts) who was happily married with two children until a disaster brings her former habits back.
This film reminded me very much of Memento, The Usual Suspects, Pulp Fiction, and Traffic. It's obviously the cinematic style, but there was also something else. No, not Del Toro! I can't describe it, but 21 Grams has the same exact feel as those movies and I felt it as I watched.
You've probably seen some of the styles in the film used in other ones before. The movie is told in a non-chronological order, similar to the acclaimed Pulp Fiction. And I will admit that such movies are a guilty pleasure for myself.
The name of the film, in case you are wondering is allegedly the amount of weight we lose when we die (and according to the movie's slogan, the weight carried by those who survive). The actual weight is that of a chocolate bar.
All in all, 21 Grams is a compelling and haunting piece of filmmaking. For some, this was the movie you were waiting for, and for others it was not. Still, Academy voters, please observe the three stunning performances delivered by Watts, Del Toro, and Penn. |
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