Poor excuse

Rating: 4/10 (20 January 2004)

I'm a big Scorcese fan, but this is a stinker -- Daniel Day Lewis's performance is noteworthy (as has been said many times). But the story itself is boring, with very few twists to keep one engaged. The groundwork for this unoriginal revenge pic is laid out in the 10 minutes, and yet the viewer must suffer through 2 hours of predictable verbal and physical battle to finally witness the inevitable conclusion? Like Jurassic Park, when the hype over the film's particpants and special effects is stripped away, you are left without an original and engaging story. Like Sam Fuller said (to the best of my recollection):
Tim Robbins: "Sam, what makes a good movie?" Sam Fuller: "The story." Tim Robbins: "What makes a good story?" Sam Fuller: "The story."