Surprisingly bad

Rating: 4/10 (11 March 2014)

Top notch cast, a good movie does not make. Truer words have never been spoken than when used in reference to this film. The thing i cant quite put my finger on is why this didn't work. Bale is very good (and pot bellied). Bradley Cooper excels. Amy Adams and Jennifer Lawrence are excellent too. So the acting is actually a plus. But the plot is just too long and too slow. I don't need a movie to be non-stop action, but i do want things to happen. There is just too much time spent by the directors when nothing, or close to nothing is happening. Just some silence. Or someone glowering grimly at the camera. The scenes are infuriatingly dragged out for no apparent reason. There is no frantic climax after a long protracted scene. Nothing. And there are plenty of them. The idea behind the movie seems good, although certainly not original. But it just takes too long for the story to go from A to B and then on to C. To put in perspective, my wife fell asleep somewhere between G and H.... I really wanted to like it. I liked the cast and I had heard good things. But I didn't. I certainly would not watch it again. The ending just happens, and then it's over and you're left wondering how you can get two hours of your life back again.