A Very Nicely Done Thriller

Rating: Null/10 (9 April 2006)

Before I review this movie I should say that Morgan Freeman almost always does an excellent job in any movie he is in. This movie is not different. Brad Pitt is the other lead and does a fair job but the reason to watch this movie is because of Freeman and his typically sterling performance. Here they play two detectives on the trail of a gruesome murderer. This is one of those rare movies that was hyped and it lived up to the hype. The publicity surrounding this movie with it's two leads and the theme of the film was immense and the movie was as good as hyped. The mystery kept you guessing, the, thrills kept you a little tense throughout, and the ending was a shocker.
The key to this movie was that the script told an intense and somewhat complicated story in a simple manner. The cinematography, the score, and the overall atmosphere of this movie provided an excellent atmosphere to such a dark and gritty movie. The plot is fairly old, two detectives on the trail of a murderer, but the actors and the direction manage to make this variation on the formula very enjoyable, and seem original, when it really isn't.
But as I said before the key to this movie was Morgan Freeman and his performance. Everybody in this movie feeds off of his demeanor and his presence. He does so good he even makes Brad Pitt seem like a god actor. There is a nice supporting cast in this movie, R. Lee Ermey, Richard Roundtree, and even, well, okay, Gwyneth Paltrow, who really can't act. But the most surprising supporting cast member is Kevin Spcaey just a few months before he became famous.
But the movie also asks a number of moral questions, in examining American society and our many vices, it examines our drive, our motivations, and ultimately our failings, and how our vices can be maximized to hurt ourselves. When I got out of this movie I was very shocked, this was quite a surprising movie, I did't expect anything like it and I was surprised at it. This is a rarity because in modern day a movie like this would be dissected by the studio, and wouldn't be allowed to have the same kind of theme and intensity it does now, it would be way to fluffy, by Hollywood standards anyway. With that said watch this movie if you want a to a nice gory little gem.