What about that ending??

Rating: Null/10 (13 July 2004)

Spoilers** I enjoyed this movie quite a bit. Despite the number of somewhat contrived connections among the characters, this was still a realistic drama about real people in a credible situation. I thought all the actors were excellent and I am not usually a Sean Penn or Tim Robbins fan.
**SPOILERS AHEAD** I see that many of the reviewers here were upset about the ending. I was too. At first sight, it appears that the Kevin Bacon character, the detective, is letting his childhood friend, Sean Penn, get away with the murder of their mutual childhood friend, Tim Robbins. I have to believe that when Bacon makes a shooting gesture at Penn, that he is saying, "I'm going to get you", and Penn's return gesture of spreading his hands is saying, "Hey, do what you gotta do". Otherwise, the ending truly IS repulsive. The reason I go with my interpretation is that Bacon's partner, Fishburne, would not let it go. Yes, maybe Bacon did not tell him about his last conversation with Penn, but Fishburne was a little more tenacious than that.