No doubt one of the greatest movies ever made.

Rating: 10/10 (19 December 2017)

No doubt one of the greatest movies ever made. It has pretty much everything you could want from a movie (of the action thriller genre). The acting is top notch, notably from the fantastic duo of DiCaprio and Hounsou, DiCaprio already being one of my favourite actors of all time is incredible as always, but I gotta say Hounsou really steals the show with this one. His portrayal of Solomon Vandy is moving to say the least, having seen the movie several times, his performance never fails to bring me to tears. And let's not overlook the acting of Jennifer Connelly who also did a fantastic job and the great chemistry created between her and DiCaprio, and even Kuyper's depiction of Dia is wonderful. So great acting all across the board.
The movie flows beautifully, it never feels like it drags, and although it feature a lot of dialogue it's never difficult to follow what's going on. It's the perfect balance of action and narrative, a very deep story which at no point feels convoluted, and the icing on the cake is that the story is meaningful, that is, it morally tells a very important story which sends a strong message. Zwick's directing is captivating, and it's no wonder that he's also the director of The Last Samurai (also a fantastic movie), which makes me feel like I should explore some more of his work. In an era where cinema is arguably a dying art, it's a rare case for a film of this caliber to be released, and still over 10 years later it remains one of my top films of all time.