I loved this film

Rating: 10/10 (29 November 2006)

Imagine a film with De Niro and Pacino on the same frame. There hasn't been one. In Godfather II, De Niro was the "flashback" Don, and Pacino played the "present time" son of the Don. I was not disappointed by the pairing of these two titans. Pairing together two titan actors is a big risk. Their egos could get in the way. This was not the case in this intelligent and exciting thriller. De Niro plays a criminal, and Pacino plays a cop. Although, on opposite sides, both characters are very similar. They both are excellent at their jobs, and they both have ruined their lives by being obsessed with their respective careers. This is the point of this film. In the end, both characters are tragic - De Niro for being trapped in his role, and Pacino for ruining his personal life in a lifetime pursuit of justice. The interaction between the characters is brilliant. There was also a tribute scene to Bullet (the McQueen film), where a chase goes through an airport. Val Kilmer also is very convincing as an apprentice criminal. De Niro's character feels an obligation to help out Kilmer's character, but also reminds him constantly that 'you have to walk away from anyone and anything within 30 seconds to get the heat off your trail'. This is a brutal reminder of how hard a life it is to be a career criminal.