Argh! So much left out of the original story!

Rating: 6/10 (19 February 2000)

Bit of a disappointment here I'm afraid. The book was riveting, but the film attempts to get away with Blu-Tack. ...(?)... As usual Leonardo Di Craprio is nauseatingly.....nauseating (why do people ever give him parts which require him to look happy?? He just looks so utterly stupid!). The plot is not very gripping, hardly any of the characters are fleshed out at all (because there are so many of them? the book certainly managed to include a lot more detail), and certain parts of the story are played upon too much at the expense of others (e.g. Daffy, who is dead, at the expense of Richard's relationships with Francoise, Sal, Keaty, etc). Watching it, I felt rather more analytical than usual, which probably demonstrates my lack of immersion in the film. The main problem for someone who has read the book is that so much is left out. Then I think of the people who haven't read it, and realise all that they are missing out on, because in just 2 hours they have seen something which may ruin their enjoyment of an excellent and thrilling novel. Final comments: Leo should die; that French chick was HOT!; what is it with kickass soundtracks in films these days?