Good establishment of mood, effective shocks, involving (though not deep) plot

Rating: 8/10 (14 October 2000)

I approached this film with uncertainty, having heard good and bad about it. But I kept thinking, as I watched it, "This is a good flick!"
By "good" I don't mean meaningful, terribly thought-provoking, or uplifting. By "good" I mean cleverly crafted, well-executed, entertaining, and involving.
The violence is pretty intense, the language is rough, and "God" (this time from a Muslim perspective) gets an obligatory Hollywood slam. In the plus column, I loved a dozen subtle directorial touches. When you see it, you'll know what I mean when I say "tap-tap-tap" and "Don't you dare," plus another dozen or so quick and interesting visual cuts.
All in all it's a diverting tale and a good flick, if you can handle dark science fiction. (I think I saw the word "erotic" or "sexy" or some such applied to it somewhere, and must confess I've no idea why. That element is completely absent.)