Excellent! Haunting, cutting, riveting, and all too true!

Rating: 8/10 (9 May 2005)

Folks, Wow! This one's a keeper! Written and directed by Paul Haggis - he, of "Million Dollar Baby" fame - this is film of the angst, desperation, hope, prejudice, and misery that comes with modern life. It is _very_ well written, _very_ well directed, _very_ well acted and it is also a harsh thing to watch. The situations depicted in the film make you squirm as they are so real and so familiar. No one in this film is an unblemished hero yet neither is anyone a beyond the pale villain. The plot twists and character turns keep you guessing and are right on the edge.
The actors chosen were spot on and some were very surprising to see as their current star status would have otherwise dictated larger roles. Yet at the same time none of them seemed placed in those roles out of any cameo or "walk-on" effect.
As a white guy who often gets up into LA and who recognizes a lot of the backgrounds shown in this film I can very much relate the type of angst which floats around up there. The various cultures; black, white, Latino, Asian, Arab, etc., do _not_ mix well but, due to the nature of modern urban life, always wind up mixing anyway. While Los Angeles does not come off too well in this film, it could easily be set in almost any modern American city and it is more of a testament about how we live than any damnation of the City of Angels.
This film was very watchable and it does cut right through you. I recommend it highly.
Madoc