New, improved sci-fi in which a federal agent does richly rewarding time-travel

Rating: 8/10 (29 April 2007)

Excellent foray for Denzel Washington, Paula Patton and James Caviesel. Though Val Kilmer is accorded short shrift in a supporting lead that may as well be an also-ran . Director Tony Scott delivers a sad. conspicuously hackneyed turn, going for a format that values schmaltz over of solid art. Thankfully, Washington carries the ball well and gets to show appreciable depth (it is still amazing that he won his leading man Oscar for a shallow-as-two-inches-of-water fake-job in Training Man when this premiere performer consistently has and still does much better -- think Out Of Time, Man On Fire and Inside Man). This time out, the gifted actor plumbs subtle depths to afford vaguely engaging dimension, supported by Caviesel's superb character-work and newly rising Patton establishing cast-iron chops. As for the script, well, it intrigues, but still needs work. The cast carries the day.