worth it

Rating: 10/10 (9 February 2007)

This movie was worth watching. It lasts longer than 2 hours, one of the things that surprised me about this movie. I think the casting was excellent. The storyline was unexpected. I never saw many ads for this movie and only wanted to see it because I think Denzel Washington is one of the best actors in America today. I have always been disappointed that he had to win his Academy Award in Training Day. This movie makes up for it, and I think it redeems him as a good actor. (I think everyone will agree that Training Day was not his best effort as an actor.) This movie appears to be filmed entirely on location in Mexico City. Many views of the city are presented. You see the very affluent neighborhoods and the very poor neighborhoods. In Mexico, you are either in poverty or rich. There are very few in between, which is why so many make the trip across the border in hopes of a better life not just for themselves, but for their entire family. I think the characterizations were fabulous. I felt real empathy for the characters. The script was fantastic. A bit predictable. But, for me, there is no "unpredictable". Tony Scott directed the film. I think he did a great job getting great performances from the actors. Dakota Fanning was made for the role of the kidnapped girl. She presents herself as very intelligent and yet vulnerable. I think -- if she can keep herself from being exploited by her parents and from falling for the falsity of Hollywood like most child actors -- that she has a career ahead of her that is worth following. The action in the film was great. Who doesn't enjoy seeing vigilante justice? This is a "what comes around goes around" film. If you like crime drama, action, good scripts and story lines, you should enjoy this flick. Keep the Kleenex handy if you are sentimental. Who wouldn't love Denzel Washington and Dakota Fanning together? They were incredible on screen.