Good but not great

Rating: 7/10 (17 July 2006)

Due to the movie's acclaim, I had to watch it for myself. However, CRASH was the best picture of the year, with CAPOTE a close second, and in my humble opinion, M OF A GEISHA a close third. My problem with Bback was with the initial character development and interaction between the boys, preceding their first tryst. It did not seem that there was enough moments where their mutual attraction and feelings were growing, and I believe the first 30 minutes of the film dragged on a bit. I did not believe the level of intensity, which made it hard for me to buy the rush of passion. Nonetheless, the story was good, and I felt the acting was great, with Heath Ledger leading the way. The writing was good, but this movie was more hype rather than substance.