The Greatest?

Rating: 10/10 (3 September 2002)

It seems rather annoying to read people slagging this film and claiming that others are "jumping on the bandwagon", afraid to insult this film because of it's legacy.
The fact is, this is one the greatest movies ever made, American or otherwise. It is groundbreaking, both in terms of the narrative (films like Pulp Fiction and Memento owe a great debt to Orson Welles, simply for proving that a non-linear story can work), and especially for technical aspects. Boring details aside, the difference between movies and theatre lies in what the director captures with his images; so even if you have any complaints about plot and acting (the latter is overly histrionic and dated, to be certain), they are essentially insignificant in the scope of things.
Another user has asked if this version of the American Dream story is the reason as to why the film is considered "The Greatest." The story, in my opinion, is uniquely American, and defenitely an important part of the film, but I still prefer to think that filmmakers (read: people who MAKE FILMS) look more toward Citizen Kane for what the can accomplish with a camera lense, rather than with a good story.