Ho Hum

Rating: 5/10 (13 August 2004)

Maybe I just heard too much hype regarding this film. The "great acting", the "phenomenal performance" by Sean Penn, the "superb direction" of Clint Eastwood, blah, blah, blah.
Sorry, but it didn't live up to the salespitch.
Yeah, I think Sean Penn gave a good performance. Kevin Bacon, well, I think he showed up for all of his scenes. And Tim Robbins gave it the college try, even if he was hopelessly miscast. But the story itself sucked.
If you can't figure out who did the murder halfway through the film you haven't been paying attention. And then the MOTIVE for the murder is as vague as it is unbelievable (there WAS an obvious motive laying right there in the middle of the plot, but it wasn't used). And the wives of all the main characters were just downright goofy. I couldn't identify with much of any of it.
Strip away the one plot twist (with the Tim Robbins character), and you've got a REALLY ordinary murder/mystery - with very little mystery.

I guess I've seen worse films, but I wouldn't really recommend this one. Wait for it to come out on "The Turner Movie Channel" or something. It isn't really worth the price of a rental.