Outrageous acting, dead serious movie

Rating: 9/10 (1 December 2004)

This is not a movie you will smile after. It is a dead serious meditation on values and destiny, on characters and how they can be destroyed. If you believe in justice you will hate the screenplay. But if you're a sucker for first class acting, dense atmosphere and serious films which are thought-provoking this is your movie. Literally all the actors (and I mean ALL) are totally on spot. Not a weak link in the ensemble. The reason I didn't give this one a 10 (I gave a 9) are some lines (especially by Sean Penn's character) which are too theatrical for my taste. Hey, a small-time crook doesn't talk like King Lear, does he? But the rest is admiration for a bleak and brilliant view on American life today.