brutal....

Rating: 9/10 (29 June 2002)

I know no other way to describe this film than brutal. That doesn't mean that its bad. In fact it is an excellent film. It is not for the casual viewer though, and it certainly isn't Friday night popcorn fair. If thats what you want or expect, then leave it. But if you can take it, its a very worth while watch.
The film does start rather slowly. It put me to sleep the first time I watched it. But in the spirit of always finishing what I watch, I gave it a second chance. Good thing. Early in the movie, about the first half or so, there is some excellent editing. It was excellent, but at the same time it was over used, and thankfully was almost completely left alone in the second half of the movie. The image of the dilated pupil is a very common and strong one in the film. I do feel, however, that some of the camera work did take away from the humanity a bit. At times it was brilliant in that it disoriented the viewer and put us in the characters place, but at certain times I feel it was a little out of place.
The acting is excellent, and extremely brave. Burstyn, as mentioned many times before, is great. The big surprise is Marlon Wayans. Yes, he plays a drug addict again, but for once it wasn't in a spoof, and it wasn't for laughs. It was nice to see the change from him. Connelly is always good, so there's really nothing you need to say about her performance that wasn't expected anyway.
The one thing I usually don't mention in a film is the score. I'm usually indifferent to it. In this film, however, the score was not only brilliant, but it was used to perfection and captured the tone of the movie. It was necessary, and really heightened the downward spiral of all the characters.
Speaking of the downward spiral, I feel this film captured that really well. The beginning is slow, but with the characters lives beginning to spiral out of control, the pace gets quicker, much quicker. The second half of the film is very fast and dark, and you can't take your eyes off of it. I'm not sure if the pacing was deliberate, but if it was then it was executed to perfection.
To sum up, this film isn't an easy watch, but its a good one. The direction and editing are good, the acting is top notch, and the story isn't at all forgiving. I'm thankful that it never took the easy way out, and thats what makes it memorable. 9 out of 10.