Irritatingly Short of Excellent.

Rating: 6/10 (5 May 2008)

Few films have elicited such contradictory emotions from me.Jerry Bruckheimer and Tony Scott have put together a visually sumptuous and exciting story. Denzil Washington delivers a strong lead performance as Agent Doug Carlin, Val Kilmer,FBI Agent Paul Pryzwarra, actually shows he can do restraint, and Claire Kuchever, as love interest Paula Patton flounces, entertains and is credible as well.
So where does it go wrong? The basis of the story, a time "envelope" allowing us to go backwards in time is fine.However the key question, "can we alter history by going back in time? " is ultimately fudged amongst a series of gaping plot holes.
Now I am not one to go looking for trouble, and firmly believe that sometimes you should just "enjoy the ride" of the story that IS being told.But perversely one of the strengths of telling a story backwards is the power of fate, you KNOW how its going to end. This way that power is weakened because your question is "how is fate going to be distorted?" For me the "twist" doesn't work, but that does not undermine a good yarn, well told, and brilliantly realised on screen.
The critics, and aficionados of this picture are both right. Which side of the fence you end up on is really dependent upon how convincingly the plot grabs you.Irrespective of that, a decent effort by all concerned.