A Powerfully Magnificent Film

Rating: 10/10 (17 January 2015)

This is certainly the best work of director Ron Howard and actor Tom Hanks so far. Both the acting and direction are nothing less than superb and the script blows the lid metaphorically off Vatican political intrigue. The suspense is absolutely unrelenting and the backdrop of Rome is used in the same way Hitchcock utilized locations. The film is intelligent as well, with brilliant dialog and incredibly insightful plotting. For all viewers this will be a motion picture they will never forget and the fact it was snubbed at the Academy Awards is additional proof of their irrelevancy. This is a simply magnificent motion picture that deserved more acclaim and awards than it received as Hanks and Howard demonstrated what genius truly is and the cinema art form has never been more clearly shown.