Good, but overrated

Rating: 3/10 (6 July 2002)

This subtle commentary on racial profiling has some fine action
scenes and a brisk plot (most of the latter part of the movie is a
chase scene). But it's the little things that kept me from really
enjoying the movie.
First (and this is a personal rant), I'm not a great fan of Tom
Cruise. Aside from his strong work in Eyes Wide Shut, most of his
roles are uniform, and is immovable boyish smirk can annoy.
So far as the film itself, the visual design was impressive, but
bleached out. Many scenes are almost in black and white, and I
can see no obvious reason for this choice. It really affected my
enjoyment.
Plotwise, it held together until the very end, and I won't go into
detail lest I ruin it for future moviegoers. It was a conclusion that
was too pat and easy, with too much easy morality.
Still, the several SFX scenes were sensational, and the film
should be watched (albeit critically) to see what many consider a
"return to form" for Spielberg. I don't think he was ever too much off
form, but it's easy to expect too much from him, given his track
record.