Spellbinding

Rating: 10/10 (24 November 2007)

This movie, for me, is what going to the cinema is all about. I was captivated from start to finish and can only wish more movies are made like this. If you go to the cinema to enjoy yourself and to suspend reality for a couple of hours then this film is for you. Everything is balanced perfectly. First of all the characters are all either very well rounded and engage you completely (eg Claire Danes) or at the very least just great fun (Michelle Pfeiffer, Robert DeNiro).
The story itself is very clever. On face value the plot is very simple, however it has several strands to it that all come together perfectly and in hindsight it is only the quality of the storytelling that makes the plot seem so straightforward.
Emotionally the movie engaged me thoroughly. The love story element was balanced nicely with humour and as a result the film is both funny and romantic.
Finally the action pieces are fast moving and imaginative and cleverly interwoven with the romance and the humour. (In some places all three aspects are strongly present at the same time).
In short this is a spellbinding film. In many ways it is old fashioned storytelling at its best and yet this is one of the best 'modern' films I have seen in a long time.