This film could have been much better

Rating: Null/10 (13 February 2000)

I ignored the critics lukewarm reviews warnings and went to see this film, because I was a fan of Dicaprio, whose talents I greatly admired for some of his previous work. Unfortunately, I don't predict this film will do well at the box office once word of mouth gets around.
The first half to two-thirds of the film is tolerable, and Dicaprio's golden-boy charisma is is still evident. There were some light moments and the story was moving forward, with Dicaprio's character `Richard' and his two friends joining a secret, secluded beach community. However, at one point Dicaprio's character is effectively cast out from the group and reduced to isolated sentry duty. It is at this point the movie takes an abrupt turn, with the character, `Richard' having hallucinations and generally acting weird. The sudden change in the film's tone is confusing to the viewer. There is no real tension or sense of danger, and the character's odd behavior is never really explained. Then, just as suddenly, `Richard' snaps out of it and comes to his senses, and this leads to the films rather anti-climactic resolution. (I was just relieved the weirdness was over).
Overall, the film's failure is primarily due to a weak script and poor direction, and unfortunately I cannot recommend this movie. Although I could see glimmers of Dicaprio's talent in a few emotional scenes, at other moments in the film he seemed to be overacting. I don't know if this was the due to the director's instructions or the actor's own interpretation. Die-hard Leo fans: save your money and wait for the video, where you can at least fast-forward through the boring parts. Sorry Leo, better luck next time, and in the future be sure to choose your scripts and directors wisely.