Impressive but heavy going

Rating: Null/10 (27 January 2005)

I approached this film with no preconceptions. I had not seen the play and all I knew about it was that it was about modern relationships. All I can say is that if that is what modern relationships are all about then I would be quite happy being single all my life. The film relied heavily on copious amounts of dialogue. There was a distinct lack of any real soundtrack. It progressed through various time periods very quickly and often you were left wondering what was happening. This is not to say that I did not enjoy the film. I found it gripping and intense and I certainly wasn't bored at any point. I liked the fact that I had no idea how it was going to end this was certainly a plus point. The acting was impressive if not a little overdone by Clive Owen and the direction was brilliant, particularly the opening and closing scenes. All in all I'm glad I went to see it although i'm not sure I will watch it again, once was enough.