Stunning, gritty, intense - one of the best films in decades

Rating: 10/10 (22 April 2017)

Wow. While the basic plot is nothing complicated, it is one of the most well executed movies of all time. The acting of everybody involved is superb. Every single key character is meaningful and presented in such a way that you become emotionally invested in all of them, good or bad. And the distinction between "good" and "bad" is very blurry line here - the main "bad" guy is intelligent, loyal, dedicated, gentle, insightful, respectful - all whilst being a ruthless criminal capable of delivering merciless high order violence at a moment's notice. The "good" guy is obsessive, emotionally dysfunctional, and incapable of seeing the train wreck which is his stepdaughter's life until it hits him in the face.
The visuals are fantastic, the music excellent. The scenes where Pacino and DeNiro interact really show these two actors at their best. And the action scenes are some of the most intense and realistic in any movie - the actors were clearly provided with outstanding training and choreography for these scenes.
In short, this is a masterpiece. Michael Mann at his absolute best.