...think might you as good as Not

Rating: Null/10 (8 December 2002)

Very, very clever - making the audience empathise with the lead character by manipulating the time line. Not since 'The Usual Suspects' have I seen a film which so cleverly played with the viewer's perceptions as the central plot device. The sheer effort required to study every detail of every scene ensures that you just can't take your eyes away from the screen for a second in case you miss something. However...
Without the reversal of the time line the movie is a low-key affair with some OK acting and artistic camera work: Guy Pearce makes a passable hero and Joe Pantoliano obviously wishes his surname were Pesci instead.
But after the final frame of the film I had that feeling of 'so what' which is the dread of every film fan - at least when you know a film is crap before you see it, you're never disappointed by it - occasionally you find that it's not as bad as you were told.
But when a film is lauded as a landmark and voted into a top 10 placing as a result, you expect a little more. This film is a long way from crap though - the problem is that the concept IS the film and it can't quite carry the plot. Consequently, you're left with a feeling of resentment at having to expend all of the effort required to unravel the mystery.