Gripping throughout

Rating: 10/10 (24 February 2010)

I knew I had to watch this the moment I saw the trailer, I went in with high expectations, and this still blew me away. Taxi Driver, Goodfellas, Casino, Gangs of New York... OK, not Cape Fear, but that was a mistake from day one(it didn't need a remake), the talent involved notwithstanding... I've loved everything(with the one aforementioned exception) that I've seen by Martin Scorsese, and this, while it might at first appear excessively mainstream, is another example. This is beautifully shot and edited, and the lighting is just astonishing. The look is amazing. This also has outstanding FX, though they are clearly not the focus, only a tool to tell the story, which is rather brilliantly put together. In general this is immensely well-written; the dialog is clever and there are numerous memorable lines, the script is smart and every character is credible, well-developed and psychologically accurate. The acting is flawless. Levine gets an unforgettable speech that he delivers impeccably, Lynch does his "there's something funny about that guy..." thing perfectly, and the entire principal cast are spot-on. The score is grand and really helps set the tone and the mood, if it is arguably over-dramatic in a place or two. This is quite creepy, terrifying and exciting. There is plenty of bloody, at times gory, violence and disturbing content, relatively infrequent strong language, brief nudity and a sexual description. I recommend this to any fan of the director and thrillers that mess with your head. 10/10