A huge disappointment

Rating: 5/10 (31 January 2010)

Given the rating on IMDb and the rave reviews, I had high expectations when I started to watch this film. I was extremely disappointed from the beginning. The story was poorly stitched together, the details unbelievable ( culminating in the Val Kilmer character's escape, apparently as a result of cutting off his pigtail, and the fiasco at the hotel when De Niro takes his revenge) and the acting largely uninspiring. De Niro seemed to be wandering through the film for the sake of getting his fee and Pacino was execrable, substituting shouting and bizarre facial expressions for proper acting (and we know that he can act - he just seems to have lost the knack).
The only redeeming feature, as far as I am concerned, was the stunning visuals.