An instant classic, who's mastery will grow exponentially with the passing of time

Rating: 10/10 (4 December 2003)

This is most definitely a situation of comment where less is more. One could espouse for many an hour on the multitude of virtues this film conveys. I will simply identify two. Eastwoods direction is so complete that the manner in which the characters communicate their emotions to the audience one could swear that it is your conscience he is directing not the actors. Secondly, to further enhance the first point there is one particular scene early in the film featuring Penn in which I was brought to tears. Never have I cried in a film that is not an emotionally contrived tear-jerker (the ETs of this world etc). Even in those situations I was very young and that was merely sobbing not full blown crying. In conclusion there are two points that prevent me from hailing this film as perfect. Firstly, I don't think that Fishburnes character was given quite the degree of emotional depth and communication as other significant characters. Secondly as I'm only 28 there are many films that are yet to be made that I will see over the next 40-50 years of my life that could be a little better and I feel that dispensing "perfects" too frequently will reduce the actual description of perfection. Suffice to say that if I were to die tomorrow this film would be an uneqivocal 10/10 as a better film I'm yet to see. Ever. There are very few absolutes in life, as human beings by their very construction are emotional and those emotions are more often than not fickle and are massively influenced by the past and how we perceive the here and now. Clint Eastwood is into his 8th decade of living-who better to perfectly illustrate the complexities our existence and the real meaning for our living? He offers very few answers but poses many questions that will leave you wondering for many a moon once you have vacated his domain and and more pertinently our domain he, such is the films emotional penetration.