Powerful and disturbing,but difficult to sit through

Rating: 5/10 (25 September 2006)

With no knowledge of the book,I didn't know what to expect.If I had,then I may have given this a miss.I found the first half interesting,but as it went on,it became so bleak and depressing,and I found the second half,after the birth of the child,gratuitous in it'sviolence, and I'm sorry to say I was just glad when it ended.Although all the actors were good in their roles,some were surprisingly brief.Being a fan of Julianne Moore,her 'starring' role is just an extended cameo.AND JULIANNE MOORE as Julian,would have been more fitting.Clive Owen,who gets better with each film,is always good as the anti hero,and here is no exception.He was also effective in a similar type film,Beyond Borders,so he is obviously drawn to these bleak parables on mans inhumanity to man.A powerful film,as I said,but not exactly an entertaining or uplifting one.