a difficult film to watch

Rating: 8/10 (26 September 2013)

Surprised by the conflicting scale of reviews on this film , its not the film of the year , but its a very good one. The cast are excellent so much so that my wife has now gone from liking Hugh Jackman to seeing him as some sort of mad rampaging bully, perhaps that's more to do with his treatment of Paul Dano who she has a soft spot for. It isn't Jake Gyllenhalls finest film much preferred him in end of watch but it is a solid performance. Paul Dano is excellent in his portrayal of the prime suspect & the film builds up a true sense of menace & suspense leading to its conclusion. The miserable setting a weather adds to the undoubted despair of the characters & the direction is solid. If I have to add one criticism its that the film is 30 minutes longer than it needs to be which leads to a feeling of this is being dragged out for the sake of it. Excellent supporting cast , well worth a watch , but not a fun night due to the subject matter.