Scary, fun ride that belies bad reviews.

Rating: Null/10 (14 February 2000)

The spate of bad reviews for this movie was, I suppose, inevitable. Everyone in the Western hemisphere is officially Over Leo, and because Titanic succeeded in spite of detractors and lukewarm reviews, Leo was bound to take a critical drubbing in his first outing since the ship sank. But all of this is hugely unfair to a movie that is every bit as fast and furious and entertaining as the novel, with some great (and, unlike LdC, previously underexposed) actors like the fabulously chilly Tilda Swinton and gorgeous Virginie Ledoyen. The creative team (esp. DP Darius Khondji) do a kick-ass job of translating a unique and timely story to the screen--only the surreal central section flags a bit--and Leo is extremely well cast as the boy whose seemingly innocent lies get him in deeper than he ever imagined. Enough with the world-weary and the jealous who pick on the world's most harrassed star because he's an easy target. What did you expect this movie to be? Perhaps you'd be happier if Di Caprio had chosen to follow up Titanic with some safe movie like "Hunt for Red October," or perhaps a teeny bopper flick like "Down to You." It's very unfair that this movie should suffer because of people who are jealous or media-logged. The movie is a blast, with a much stronger and more original story than recent visual joyrides such as "Fight Club." See it!