Great acting hampered by terrible pacing

Rating: 3/10 (7 February 2009)

It's amazing that Brad Pitt, even at this young age, could hold his own with Anthony Hopkins. The fact that they make a great team is even more impressive.
While Hopkins plays a pretty standard "60-something businessman," Pitt plays death itself. This film presents a more intimate view of Death's trying to understand Life than the old flick "Death Takes a Holiday," so we see Death try to understand things at a very personal level. Pitt is perfect in the role, showing a charming innocence along with the necessary amount of gravitas.
But the picture is severely hampered by its pace, which borders on the Jurassic (the epoch, not the epic, Jurassic). If this had been edited much more tightly, we'd move briskly through a beguiling and thought-provoking story. Instead we're treated to affected dialogue (which the actors valiantly try to overcome) and tediously long takes that give us plenty of time to lose interest.
Kudos to Hopkins and Pitt; onions to the director.