A Little Overrated Would You Not Agree

Rating: 6/10 (8 June 2009)

This film was hyped to the max due to the involvement of Clint Eastwood, Tim Robbins and especially Sean Penn. These three peoples involvement in this film made the people at the academy salivate to such an extent, most sadly died and the rest where required to wear drips for a period of one solid month, pumping in a mix of water, extreme hypocrisy and stupidity. A hefty dosage.
Anyway, this film is what you would rightly expect from these characters. Intensity and a certain level of ability. Sean Penn acts his role rather well and the same can be said for Tim Robbins and even Kevin Bacon. But the problem is very simple. This is so unbelievable it is very hard to get truly sucked in. The characters are extreme. Robbins character is meant to be a weirdo, a freak, yet he still manages to make a living, marry a fairly nice wife and father a well rounded son. Not what one would expect from a man who's childhood and subsequent life was ruined due to a dreadful 4 day experience. 'Damaged goods' is what he is referred to in the film I believe.
Sean Penn does well as the grieving father. But the hints and insights he has into his daughters life are excruciatingly unreal. He can tell by a look. No Chance. His gangster past is also a miss for me. Terrible. Kevin Bacon does well. As well as he can but he's in no trouble. His parter is though. Lawrence Fishburne's character is so badly written and filled with clichÃ©s its beyond belief. This is a huge let down and does drag the movie down somewhat. I don't know if everything is down to the poor writing but it is sickening. Poorly acted but with the material, what can you do.
It seems that the realism that Clint and his chums went into this film seeking was never there to begin with. The story is weak. The murder mystery is far too easily solved and the actions of the characters can't even be attributed to desperation or to difficult childhoods. It fails in what is trying to convey. The truth. What these characters would do in this situation. It wouldn't happen this way. Its been down in many places before and the supporting characters seem very unbelievable. Shocking really. There is too much going on and most of it is not worthwhile.