film of the year

Rating: Null/10 (1 October 2004)

not since LA HAINE or ONCE WERE WARRIORS has a film had such a visceral impact on me....& i have not seen such a dark & challenging movie coming out of Hollywood since David o. russells brilliant THREE KINGS whilst tony scotts direction sometimes threatens to over-stylize, the sheer brutality & harshness of tone cannot fail to impact denzil washington is superb as the troubled ex-army vet who is hired as a Mexico city bodyguard....& a character like this has not been seen since eastwood or bronsons early western anti heroes....no flash action or wisecracks, this is a brutal, taciturn performance of great power, big up to denzil for accepting such an unsympathetic role this film is an instant cult classic...& check out washingtons THE SIEGE from a few years back as another dystopian political thriller at a time when hostage crisis abound, men feel powerless against an invisible foe, stuck in a foreign land, impotent & scared.... denzil & tony scott have crafted a modern masterpiece, a revenge drama that doesn't attempt to glorify its retribution, but calls it for the horror that it is..... there are no winners in this film, has there been such a nihilistic conclusion from a mainstream studio since CHINATOWN? do not miss! sit back, concentrate, & prepare for the ride of your life....this is a bleak but brutal & honest dissection of life in a third world country, where decay & corruption are commonplace, & the state is rotten from the top down anyone need any pointers to where this could be going? brilliant film-making, vital & passionate, informative & necessary.....my FILM OF THE YEAR!!!!!