2011 starts on a solid note, with plenty of thrills and intellect to go around.

Rating: 8/10 (8 March 2011)

Last year, I started 2010 with Martin Scorsese's fantastic Shutter Island. Now 2011 has come, and I'm starting the cinematic year off with The Adjustment Bureau. While I don't think it's a perfect movie, I will say this much: It is a rock solid movie with thrills and intellect to spare.
Matt Damon stars as David Norris, a New York congressman running for senate. After a huge loss, he has a chance encounter with a mysterious woman (Played by Emily Blunt), a woman who after another chance meeting is revealed to be named Elise. But unbeknownst to David, he was only supposed to meet her once, as part of a grand plan by an entity of black suited overseers. But David decides to challenge his destiny by pursuing Elise, but doing so is an action that could not only destroy his personal ambitions, but Elise's as well.
The screenplay by first time director George Nolfi is an interesting one, and delivers serious food for thought on the concept of challenging fate, and the consequences of one's actions and deviations. Nolfi proves he has talent as a director, as he not only keeps a firm grasp on characterization, stages the action sequences well, or knows when to let the cinematography by John Toll, or musical score by Thomas Newman do the storytelling, but he also never strays far from proper structure, tone, and pace.
The movie moves quickly, the conversations are interesting, and the ensemble cast, specifically that of Matt Damon and Emily Blunt's perfect chemistry, is terrific. It is worth noting that certain elements of the film can get confusing, and the ending is a bit anticlimactic, but I'd be lying to myself if I said I wasn't enthralled by those 100 minutes. Plus, I have to give praise to Kasia Walicka-Maimone for the film's inventive costumes.
It may not be perfect, but I'm very satisfied to have kicked off 2011 with The Adjustment Bureau.
I give it *** out of ****