Good film, with weaknesses

Rating: 7/10 (8 February 2001)

Unlike many films "based on a true story", this one manages to find a lot better balance between fact and fiction, compared to say, "The Perfect Storm" which sacrifices accuracy to get the story across. It's always a tough balancing act, but this film pulls it off brilliantly, driving the narrative forward with naturalistic acting, dialogue and situations. There's no overacting in this movie.
That being said, and the film definitely being worth a look, it does suffer from a couple of major weaknesses. First is the audio track. Throughout the film, it is barely audible, and straining to listen often detracts from trying to follow the plot. Since the plot is by no means easy to follow, this is a major failing. The second is the "sudden denouement" syndrome that seems to infect Hollywood every once in a while. These guys brought down the president, but the story stops well short of that point. Instead of following the story to its natural conclusion, it sums it all up. Its like ending Henry V after the Battle of Agincourt. I think this was done to keep the movie short (it runs about 2 1/2 hours as it is), but studio types have to learn that if a movie is good (think Shoah, Greed or the "Star Wars" Nonology once it is finished), people will sit enthralled for hours rather than walk away.