The importance of one man's actions

Rating: 8/10 (3 May 2013)

This is a movie best watched when you have at least 3-and-a-half hours to spare, since you'll need at least 30 mins to re-watch certain previous scenes to fully appreciate it, given the number of stories told and characters involved.
But I liked the way the story unfolded, where each scene from each story was just the right length - long enough to move each story forward, yet short enough so you can still remember where each story left off.
The movie had the impact of making me realise the importance of each person's actions, however minor they may seem, in impacting one's future actions as well as the future actions of others. I didn't read the book, so I don't know if this was the intention of the story.
All the major characters were beautifully played, and you feel for even the most emotionless of them. That each actor had the same character type to play made following the story much easier. While I was initially hesitant to watch this due to the long play time (almost 3 hours for a dramatic and not an action movie), I didn't regret it.