Don't Understand All the Negative Reviews
SPOILERSAfter seeing many negative reviews of the film, I was not expecting it to be that great, but I'm a fan of some of the actors in the film, so I figured I'd give it a go. I was pleasantly surprised, but I don't feel my opinion was heightened by lower expectations. I think it was a truly good film, overall. There were a few slow areas and scenes which were heavy handed (either by director or actor) but the main storyline was engaging and easy for most people who have any shred of introspection to relate to.
Damian Lewis and Kristin Scott Thomas were excellent, as usual. Both stayed admirably true to both of their characters, both of whom are a mass of complexities and contradictions under the surface, and also appear at the outset to be fairly one sided. I felt that there was a good representation of when you meet someone in real life and know only surface and appearance related info about that person....slowly, the story builds as you get to know them and all the facets start to show. and really were perfectly true to their characters.
Ben Chaplin plays an old friend with altrustic intentions on a general level, but sinister ones where actual lives are concerned. His sudden appearance in a friend's life, deception and betrayal are excellently plotted and echo of the very best of Shakespeare. This storyline and performance is a strong-point.
Penelope Cruz as a dying call girl basically recycled her performance from every tragic young woman role she's been in. I didn't really care for her acting, save for certain scenes, notably the end of her love scene with Sir Ian Holm (excellent, restrained and poignant as usual in his role as pinched, ineffective patriarch.) Rhys Ifans was also quite good, but I felt the attachment he formed was quite quick and seemed somewhat forced.
There was a surprising amount of humor in this film. In particular, I found myself laughing out loud at the furtive, awkward sex scene between Lewis and Scott Thomas as well as their verbal fumblings as they try to steer their way through a terse, bitter marriage.
Not surprising, but appreciated (by me anyway) was some of the subtle undertones of the film, which is basically about a whole bunch of interconnected people who really have no REAL connections to each other (including those who can cast away real connections for the sake of convenience or personal gain.) Early on, a character who will end up in jail plays the Clash's "I Fought the Law" and that song is played again in a crucial dramatic scene in the background. Also, a cast off hardly worn red dress floats through London from the home of a wealthy, seemingly privileged through a charity shop to a woman who wears the dress on her dying night. There's something to be said for the literal visual impact of the red dress being passed between strangers, but it also speaks eloquently of the larger issue of fashion and consumerism as a defining factor for some very unhappy people, which is a theme in the film as well.
All told, a well crafted film that only suffered minorly from vague heavy handedness. The acting was excellent and it was most definitely an enjoyable watch. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to connect, relate and enjoy.
score 9/10
madamebrad 28 April 2008
Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw1865526/35333
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