Very intense, graphic flick with a dark message about power

Rating: 9/10 (4 January 2006)

I liked the movie! Interesting story... It left me guessing about how much is reality and how much is fiction in it. Some of the fighting scenes were decidedly computer-manipulated, but I'm still trying to figure out how much punching and bulleting is possible to get without kicking the bucket already, like in Marv's case.
The movie speaks a big truth that accurately describes politics, i.e. that power is based on lying, especially for politicians like Senator Roark, whose whole careers rely on convincing people that what they hold to be true is actually false, as long as it serves their career (read "money") interests.
The movie also had a peculiar cinematic effect, the selective coloring of particular body parts or just a car, etc., while everything else around is black and gray. This special effect adds to the overall grim, obscure atmosphere of the movie in a very suggestive way. It's a dark movie that features no daylight. This indicated to me the writer's/director's wish to convey a message about the dark side of power, meaning that if you want power, you've got to play hard and dark, to expose yourself to a lot of emotional and physical violence and all the evil that accompanies it.