| Overall Grade: |
B |
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| Story: |
B- |
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| Acting: |
A- |
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| Direction: |
B- |
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| Visuals: |
A |
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Promising and Stylish, But It Doesn't Deliver
by Bruce (movies profile)
Mar 21, 2008
4
of
6 people found this review helpful
This movie is an adaptation of a mystery novel from the fifties called "Five Roundabouts to Heaven." It was written by some guy who mentored John le Carre--John Bingham. Some reviews I found say he's a good, tight writer. I can't really say.
I hope his book is better at plotting and character than this promising but creaky script. There are places the screenwriter just didn't make it work. For example, a contrived plot device gets thrown in to make a man think it's a good idea to commit murder, and it's not really convincing at all. That's just lazy. It's too bad because the script sniffs around some interesting complexities and has some good plot twists. But it just gets boring in the middle. The characters aren't revealed in any satisfying way. And the voiceover narration that just muddles the point of view.
How about the acting? I always root for Patricia Clarkson--ever since "High Art." She creates the fullest character here. And I like that she's a little wrinkly. She almost looks like a real person. Chris Cooper brings a lot to this--understated, nervous, sweaty when he's supposed to be. Rachel McAdams is juicy. Very vulnerable and teary. Piercee Brosnan is a bore. This guy David Wenham is hot. I bet we see him again.
The look: The clothes, the cars, the homes (my friend Scott liked the wallpaper), the bars, even the food in the restaurants all look terrific. And there's lots of cigarettes, smoke, whisky, and coffee to create a period atmosphere. So why does Pierce Bosnan's hair look like 1988? And why did they airbrush the beauty marks off Rachel McAdams' face in the poster? They are kind of her trademark. |
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