What's all the fuss about?

Rating: 5/10 (8 January 2008)

I have to say I was shocked to find how mediocre I thought this film was. I mean people who I trust about movies loved it -- the people who raved about Million Dollar Baby, or Eastern Promises, or Amores Perros.
But this one I just don't get. Trite plot, obvious twists, trite AND obvious ending, superficial characters, and even Clive Owen wasn't as good as his usual terrific, intense performance. Compared to Inside Man, the role, the character, and the actor were nothing much at all.
Was it awful? No. I remained mildly interested though increasingly disappointed. But a great movie? Not a chance.
It's interesting that a comment has to run to ten lines when there's not much more to say here. But here goes: A good cast (Julianne Moore, Chewy Ejiofer, the wonderful Michael Caine) was wasted playing characters that were more caricatures: the faithful radical, the bad radical, the aging hippie. With the exception of Caine, they (incluidng Owen) sleepwalked through their parts -- and these are actors I love to watch.
That's ten lines, and enough said about this flic.