Interesting but not Amazing

Rating: 7/10 (11 June 2009)

Yea, this movie was entertaining but NOT a blockbuster. With a very controlled and understated performance from the young lead, Jim Sturgess, which has been woefully overlooked, ably assisted by the master-class actor himself - Kevin Spacey - the movie does entertain even if he has ridden roughshod over the book. Spacey hams it up, slightly, but that's just a little bit of scene-stealing technique the old salt is prone to do when in danger of being upstaged by a younger acting talent. There were anomalies in the plot and sometimes it seemed a bit too Ocean's Eleven a la Blackjack as the actors were shoe-horned into a formulaic over-plot that threatens on occasions to blow the charm factor out of the water - or ocean!