| Overall Grade: |
B- |
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| Story: |
C+ |
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| Acting: |
B |
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| Direction: |
B+ |
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| Visuals: |
A- |
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I Probably Expected Too Much
by Bruce (movies profile)
Jul 5, 2008
144
of
174 people found this review helpful
I've heard people and critics were saying that this movie and "No Country for Old Men" were the standouts of 2007. One friend of mine said this one was better and it would win all the awards. So I expected suspense, characters I cared about, a good story--like I'd got with "No Country for Old Men."
I was disappointed. The movie held my attention for about the first half. Daniel Day Lewis is compelling. Some of the visuals are powerful. There were some tense scenes at the start. Then I started to wonder where it was going. Was it about greed and hate? Was it about the father and the son? The preacher vs. the oil man? A con man's obsessive? I don't think it explored any of those too fully, so the answers are No, No, No and No. Then there were some big jumps in time. I don't know what they did other than make it choppy. Also, the characters don't really change. Daniel Day Lewis's character progresses, but not in a way that is surprising or even interesting. I am not sure what the point of view is supposed to be.
I have to say that I thought Paul Dano seemed like a real amateur. I was inclined to like him, because he doesn't look like everybody else, but he really seemed lame in scenes with DDL.
Still, there is something about this movie that I respect and admire. I like this director's work that I have seen in the past. Maybe I would have liked this one more if I hadn't heard it was the best film of the year. That's a lot to live up to. I should have re-calibrated my expectations, I guess. |
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