Smart Crime Story

Rating: 9/10 (22 May 2006)

This is hands down, Al Pacino's best performance since the Godfather. He goes through no mad tirades with wild hand gestures and screaming as he is accustomed to doing, so much so he has become a caricature of himself. In this movie, he gets back to acting instead of playing himself. And boy, does he ever deliver.
This is a movie about borders; where there are no shades of gray, only the thin border between black and white. When you lose you're way, no matter how slight, there is no going back. Pacino realizes this at the end of the movie.
This is not your usual bang em up, shoot em down cop movie, but an intellectual look at vulnerability due to stress and the blurring of lines. Robin Williams is excellent as the wolf in sheep's clothing predator. Pacino is amazing as the wore down big city cop, who meets his match in small town Alaska. The rest of the cast play their roles very effectivally, not deterring any attention away from Pacino or Williams. There are so many subtle lines delivered, so many fragile scenes, it doesn't surprise me it was directed by the man who carefully delivered us Memento. I look forward to seeing his next crime drama.
To all the people who are tired of the usual forensic themed, serial killer hunt movie, this is a darn original spin on good old fashioned cop work. I highly recommend it.