Over-hyped melodrama with no moral compass.

Rating: 4/10 (17 July 2002)

While I appreciate the craftsmanship of this film, I found it sincerely devoid of character and morality. I had a hard time getting behind a protagonist who was basically a juvenile, self-absorbed, drug-addicted pedophile. If this story truly needed to be told, I think it should have been told from the POV of a slightly less horrible example of a human being. But in this modern American fairy-tale land, plain ordinary good people seem to be in short supply. If you're an actor, watch if for the strong performances. If you're a designer, watch it for the specific visual style. If you're a writer or director, watch it to learn how to alienate your audience.