Great acting, left me confused though

Rating: 8/10 (12 October 2005)

There was not a bad actor in this film. I could go down the list and talk about what a stellar cast this was, but that's been done over and over. All I will say on that subject is that Clint Eastwood can really attract talent -- just seeing the fabulous Eli Wallach in a cameo was a delight. And isn't it almost impossible to believe that the same man who "became" Jimmy Markum for this movie once played Jeff Spicoli? Just goes to show what a true talent Sean Penn is (btw, Jeff Spicoli was a fine bit of acting).
I'm writing this because here we have an intriguing story, a great director, one of the best casts ever assembled, excellent editing and photography . . . and the end result did not satisfy me. Why is that? I think because there was so much ambiguity. I don't require a happy ending to feel satisfied, but I like to have a firm grasp of what it was all about. I mean, everyone can die and the world can be destroyed but if it is done well and makes sense, I'm alright with it. Reading the message boards on this movie confirms that many others were left with lingering questions. Who actually pulled the trigger? Why the 911 call? Was it an accident or intentional? If an accident, why was the body so beat-up? There are just too many conflicting inferences. Kevin Bacon at the end of the film -- the "gun-click" with the fingers -- is this supposed to infer something profound? I guess Eastwood wanted to end with ambiguity -- like the real world -- but it is frustrating. This is a very good film and the actor's portrayals are so spectacular that you can overlook this sort of dissatisfaction. Why it was considered Best Picture material I don't really know, though.