Not what I expected and not bad at all

Rating: 7/10 (13 November 2007)

The previews I saw for this movie led me to believe that it was a supernatural thriller like The Sixth Sense or Stigmata. I never got the sci-fi tech angle from the trailers. That ended up being a very pleasant surprise.
I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. Tony Scott's direction reminded me at times of his earlier films like The Hunger or Revenge. The guy's a painter. The look of the film is beautiful.
I read a couple of reviews on here saying that the acting was sub-par. Absolute nonsense. Sure, if you're looking for over-the-top hamminess, this film will let you down. Denzel Washington is understated as an ATF agent based in New Orleans. He's got an easygoing way about him and speaks economically. There's a bit of Sam Elliot in this character. Val Kilmer plays an FBI agent with a big secret. He's believably tight-lipped. Both these performances were fantastic. Too many idiots in this world believe that a person has to be bombastic to truly be *acting*. That's why Tom Cruise has a career.
Yes, I'll admit that the time-loop logic is flawed but it's not enough to kill the film. It's not a huge glaring flaw that left me yelling "Bullsh*t!" like the one at the end of Tim Burton's Planet of the Apes remake.
And along the same lines, I thought that the way the technology was explained was perfect. It was explained exactly the way those characters would have explained it. We're used to films explaining made-up technology to us, the audience, through lots of convoluted on screen exposition. This film chose a more realistic path. "It doesn't matter how it works. Sit down and help us prevent a crime." I like that. If I wanted a lecture on time-travel theory, I wouldn't be going to see a movie.
Relax and enjoy a fun movie!