A Pretty Looking Nightmare

Rating: 5/10 (5 December 2007)

David Fincher is terrific with his camera. Visually his films are a wonder. Unfortunately the contents are so thin that the interiors of his tale vanish very quickly. What remains is "the look" and the promise, no matter how unfulfilled the promise remains. Edward Norton is sensational, especially in the first 20 minutes of the movie. Brad Pitt, already a film icon, does his thing, and that, of course, is a plus. Helena Bonham Carter surprised me big time with a facade I had never seen. The slow motion of the smoke coming out of her mouth as Fincher introduces her to us is a work of art in itself but, and that "but" is a real problem, nothing remains because deep down there is nothing there but a fantastic eye for and to startle and amaze. I'm sure that sooner or later David Fincher will come out with something that is as powerful inside as it is outside.