Exceptional First 1/2 hour; Loses it's Focus in Middle

Rating: 6/10 (14 February 2000)

Being a big Danny Boyle fan, I was a little disappoiinted by "The Beach." However, I must say the first 1/2 hour was as good as any work he has done in the past. The beginning let's you get to know and identify with Richard (Leonardo Dicaprio) a lost, uncomfortable American traveler, who, like so many is anxious to try something "new." The script by the always dependable John Hodge captures Richard's mood perfectly. Another fantastic element of "The Beach" is Robert Carlyle's appearence as Daffy, a spontaneous and exciting character who remains the real center of Richard's state of mind throughout his wild stay on the beach.
After the first hour, however, the film begins to stumble as Richard's mood begins to shift and this transition simply feels too rushed. Dicaprio turns in a good performance, however the other characters remain rather flat. Even though the film is strictly about Richard and what he represents, they could have built more on his relationship with Etienne (Guillame Canet) and especially Francoise, (Virginie Ledoyen) not to mention the others on the beach. The film is also tremendously visual, as Boyle continues to make the settings just as large a part of the story as his characters.

By the end the themes feel complete,(They are reminiscent of some in "Fight Club" in an odd way) however the story comes up short.