Great stirring movie on a strong subject

Rating: 7/10 (2 October 2014)

The movie opens strongly although the sequence is a bit too long in duration hence making it feel a bit too slow. Then the main characters are introduced straightly with clear hints on their characteristics and values right on their first scene. The rest of the movie runs quite slow until about two thirds of the duration, then it goes faster in pace with shorter duration on scenes and sequences. The finale is a predictable inevitability yet it serves greatly in how things turn out to be. The compromise between the two main characters sure makes the unpredictability looks better. The acting is very nice in overall. Gene Hackman sure knows how to handle a hard character like this one. He even can build enough level of ambiguity at the starting points. Willem Dafoe sure can also handle his calm character well. His calm speaking manner is kind of his signature thing of his acting, although that will work even far more better if only he plays the antagonist.