Solid thriller, but it felt like a stretched TV policier

Rating: 7/10 (6 January 2015)

It is difficult to tell a lot about the plot without spoiling it. The film features Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike, with all other actors merely supporting, in a thrilling story about the private lives of people and the ugliness of the media trying to pry them open, but also mystery and crime.
Both Affleck and Pike played well, but it wasn't outside their usual roles and acting range. I felt that the film was a bit too long, it lasts for two hours and a half, but it did need more time in order to show all sides of the story. The problem appeared somewhere in the middle of the film, where it felt like someone wanted to finish it there, but others wanted it continued. The last hour and specifically the ending felt contrived and pushed too far for the sake of artificial drama.
Bottom line: I don't get where all the hype is coming from. I've seen similar stories and movies released for TV only. None of the qualities of the film are worth placing it above many other movies and I don't think it deserves the 8.6 IMDb grade. It's not a bad movie, but not a great one either and I find it difficult to recommend it to anyone.