Good movie, though it would've worked better with a different director

Rating: 10/10 (29 April 2004)

I watched this movie a couple days ago and it was good, although a little long for a revenge movie. Denzel Washington proves he is one of the best in the business today, but it was his scenes with the adorable Dakota Fanning that were the high points of the film. Christopher Walken is his usual self. If there was one thing that I didn't like, it was director Tony Scott's overindulgence in style. I'm not saying Scott is a bad director, I liked Enemy of the State and Spy Game, but his frenetic ultra-stylish directing doesn't suit a movie like this. The movie consists of a million jump cuts, freeze frames, color saturations, blurred images...you name it and all it accomplishes is giving you a headache. Ridley Scott, Tony's elder and more prolific brother, would've worked well with this movie. A more classical style of direction would have perfectly complemented the awesome plot and splendid performances from the cast. But in the end, this movie is still watchable and turned out to be a satisfying experience. 7/10.