The Best Film of the Year...so far

Rating: 8/10 (7 June 2002)

It is so nice to see a great film slip through Hollywood untouched by the typical big explosions and horrible screenwriting that has been and continues to be the craze in the industry. Christopher Nolan has quickly and clearly established himself as a great filmmaker with another great story and an even better film. The film is remarkable for its storytelling and characters, and not to mention its independent flair, which is rare and admirable these days. Pacino, Williams, and Swank deliver the goods in this fresh and dramatic thriller. Did I mention the acting was absolutely wonderful? Well it was. Did I mention that the directing was top-notch? Well it was. Someone once said this would be a good David Fincher film, they couldn't have been more wrong...Nolan's style is far more developed (latent imagery with a certain degree of ambiguity) and does not rely on the MTV style camera and editing effects to make his stories mysterious and intriguing, his blatant manipulations of the audience's knowledge and perspective is far more effective. I recommend this film to anyone in the mood for a mindbending, deep journey into the human psyche. This is what great filmmaking is all about.