Not complex, just lame

Rating: 2/10 (15 May 2008)

Given the high praise this movie has gotten, I must have really missed something. But really now, the story was not complex, as some would contend; it was just plain lame. Throughout the movie I waited to see whether something interesting would gel and make the whole thing work, but it never really did. Yes, the ending was a complete surprise, so much so that it was completely unbelievable, as was the rest of the movie. I couldn't understand whether this was a spoof on westerns or just really bad writing. Either way, it was pretty much a complete failure. Too bad. I'm a big fan of Russel Crowe, and in this case I would say that even his performance suffered. It just goes to show that without a good screenplay, everything else is certain to fall flat.