A great story spoiled to the point of Good by the director

Rating: 7/10 (25 August 2009)

An unusual plot made quite believable by a skillful director who caught himself up in a few excesses and at least one very childish treatment of the main sub plot resolution, stopped this movie from being almost perfect. I found particularly effective the romantic angle from the very beginning with a shocking accident setting the basis for a quite well achieved notion that death him/herself actually enters the picture to announce a tycoon on his 60 something birthday at the top of his successful career that his days are literally running out. In doing this, Pitt and Hopkins are at their best and both of them manage to treat their character in a manner that leaves no loose ends. The rest of the story surrounding the core idea is full of interesting, romantic, funny and well acted scenes and just left it at that the movie is a 10. Then, unfortunately you feel sorry by having to remove fractions of a point here and there just because for the director enough wasn't enough. Never. As a result, you have endless watery eyes, stares, smiles, more watery eyes, lots of hugs, stuff like that. And to top it all, the big revelation: the coup de grace for a rather annoying character, instead of an obvious and tremendous blow like saying "I think by now you should know that I'm the Death Himself" or anything really right to the point, with the silly cooperation from Hopkins, Joe Black delivers "I.......... aaaaaam an ins....pec.....tooooor of..... the..... Inter.......nal......Re...ve...nue Service". A fatal piece of info, I guess, worse than death in a capitalist environment.
Finally, a bit of a replica of the Beijing fireworks, more and more watery eyes to the point of the audience wondering why aren't we done with the whole thing yet, pleeease!! Still, a good movie. But prepare yourself.