Sober and humble : impeccable.

Rating: 8/10 (13 January 2007)

I've seen this movie on the shelves for a while. I was planning to watch it one day, you know, when circumstances would bring it on my path. No, it's true, I didn't care much about it, for obvious reasons: First, this movie didn't seemed very popular, and nobody ever told me anything about it. But second, Matt Damon in the lead role left me somehow perplex, probably due to his lack of charisma.
Whatsoever, now, in early 2007, I took the time to enjoy this, finally, excellent production! On the whole, the movie shines by its precise realization; its well balanced way to tell the story, to establish character's relations and successions of events. Amazingly, especially for this kind of movie(thriller/action/stealth) almost nothing is exaggerated, or, at least, unrealistic and over-saturated to the extreme like the usual "made in USA" productions. The pace is just right, and leave us exactly the right time to taste and enjoy every details without relieving the needed tension. So, on the directing side, this jewel is just wonderful! The cast is another strong point. It gave me another look to its main actor, Matt Damon, by showing his physical ability, and by using his kind of average charisma, as I said, to enhance the natural behavior of his character. Chris Cooper, to my opinion, is always welcome, maybe not his most memorable performance ever, but still excellent. Enigmatic, Clive Owen was a good surprise to me. Few dialog for him, but he astonishingly fits as an invisible sniper hit-man, I wouldn't ever have thought so! The haircuts and clothes were, maybe discrete, but perfectly chosen. Franka Potente was enjoyable too, it's the first time I've seen her on screen though.
Sadly, I've watched a 4:3 (full screen) version of the film, so I can't fairly comment the photography, but it seems to follow the whole thing, being homogeneous and just right. The sound was especially well mixed, and didn't seemed to use typical audio FX samples for details like gunshots, silenced gunshots or engines, and it feels even more realistic that way. Lovely use of the surround sound even in calm or quiet moments.
Clean and brief, but effective fighting scenes are something we can't miss. The (only) car pursuit was delicious, sharp, dynamic and spectacular, but still sober and realistic! Hard to believe isn't it?! The European settings were perfect and refreshing overall, even funny (for the pursuit).
Obviously, this movie was a great surprise, and, to my opinion, stands above most "bigger" productions of the same genre. Sober and humble, impeccable. I hardly can't find anything wrong about it, honestly! Three thumbs ups!