expectations ruined this movie for me

Rating: 7/10 (3 July 2010)

I had really high expectations for the film. I think it ruined it for me. It was a really good movie, but it never flowed for me. The tone never seemed consistent to me. It felt like it wanted to be a thriller at times, an action movie at times, and a comedy at times. I do not think it blended the three themes that well. Visually it was an extremely impressive movie. There were some shots that seemed on the verge of being truly beautiful with some cool color themes, but they always fell short. The one fight scene that the movie is famous for is really one of the most impressive fight scenes I have ever seen. It was nice mix of powerful action that really gave us a feeling of the character's desperation. The relationship between the main characters always felt forced to me and the hypnosis explanation never sat well with me. I guess it explained the reason why the relationship felt forced and out of place, but without a meaningful character relationship the movie felt hallow. I really enjoyed the build up, but the twists never shocked or surprised me. I enjoyed the acting, but nothing really stood out for me as a whole. It was a good movie, but not remarkable for me.