Great Alaska scenery is the backdrop for murder...

Rating: 9/10 (26 October 2003)

I thought this film was going to be one of those grisly slasher movies, but I'm glad I was mistaken! Pacino is, as usual, on his mark! In my mind, he's one of the best actors of all time. This film shows why:
Pacino and his LAPD partner, Donovan, are called by one of Pacino's friends to a small-town community in Alaska, where a 17-year-old-girl is murdered. Wasting no time, Pacino goes right to work, possibly wanting to take his mind off the troubles he has back home with his own affairs...
The suspects dwindle, and Pacino wastes no time even further dwindling that list, but what he has left is a group of people that any one of them could have done it...or could they?
Hillary Swank was the downfall to this film. From the first time she meets with Pacino, she holds him on a pedestal, even going as far as quoting some of his previous work (even the address of a murder scene in one of his past cases). It was obvious to everyone what a fan she was of Pacino, but they took it a little too far...
Overall, this is an excellent movie! The scenery was breath-taking (one of those, "I wish I would have seen it on the big screen" moments) and the characterization of Robin Williams (who was billed way too high for this film, since he doesn't enter the picture until about half-way through) as a writer was pretty good, also. In fact, I found myself asking some pretty interesting questions throughout.
Pacino fans and Williams fans alike will enjoy this film. I gave it a somewhat-generous 9 because I lost myself in the film...I could really see something like this happening!