exciting start, slow middle, satisfied ending

Rating: 7/10 (31 August 2013)

This starts off with an exciting first 30 minutes. It's like the climax of an action movie. Then they slow it way down as we discover that captain Whip Whitaker (Denzel Washington) is actually an incredible drunk.
The change in pace is pretty jarring. And Denzel is not that likable in this movie. The good news is that the movie does get to an emotional climax. Denzel's acting is its usual first rate. The action at the beginning is really exciting, and the ending is satisfying. The middle is where they needed to pick up the tension. That was always going to be difficult with such an exciting start.