Minor Spoilers:
One of the most discussed features of the movie is the non-linear timeline. I've read several reviews stating both the positive and negative attributes of the technique, but as of right now, two hours after I've seen it, I have to admit the story would not be as effective if told in a linear fashion. However, I had guessed the ending long before it happened, they gave away a little too much before the climax to maintain the mystery.
I think I am beginning to see a trend...any movie that has a shot of Naomi Watts' nipples is probably very good (ref Mulholland Drive). But I'm not trivializing her performance, IMO, she acts with much more talent than her contemporaries.
Sean Penn gave a subdued performance that actually was more convincing than anything I've seen him in before (I haven't seen Mystic River). I usually find him talented, but I always feel like that I'm watching Sean Penn act like a stoner, retard, drug-addict...in this movie I was watching a math professor who survived a heart transplant that looked like Sean Penn .
Benicio Del Toro, as usual, delivers the goods. His religious intensity, pain, as well as his mood shifts, are entirely believable.
One little note about the ending monologue of the movie. A nickel weighs exactly five grams, so the comparison to four nickels instead of five would have been more precise.
One of the most discussed features of the movie is the non-linear timeline. I've read several reviews stating both the positive and negative attributes of the technique, but as of right now, two hours after I've seen it, I have to admit the story would not be as effective if told in a linear fashion. However, I had guessed the ending long before it happened, they gave away a little too much before the climax to maintain the mystery.
I think I am beginning to see a trend...any movie that has a shot of Naomi Watts' nipples is probably very good (ref Mulholland Drive). But I'm not trivializing her performance, IMO, she acts with much more talent than her contemporaries.
Sean Penn gave a subdued performance that actually was more convincing than anything I've seen him in before (I haven't seen Mystic River). I usually find him talented, but I always feel like that I'm watching Sean Penn act like a stoner, retard, drug-addict...in this movie I was watching a math professor who survived a heart transplant that looked like Sean Penn .
Benicio Del Toro, as usual, delivers the goods. His religious intensity, pain, as well as his mood shifts, are entirely believable.
One little note about the ending monologue of the movie. A nickel weighs exactly five grams, so the comparison to four nickels instead of five would have been more precise.