Stunning and beguiling

Rating: 9/10 (2 January 2009)

It has been a long time since I sat through a movie of such length and became so beguiled.The film could have continued for a further hour with no complaint from me. Hollywood has shown an understandable reluctance in recent years to produce slow action motion pictures of such duration for fear of them being shunned as European-style art house. That this movie works so well is down to the brilliant and sensitive interpretation of an intriguing story. The direction,script and acting are first class. The wonderful 'aging' of the Brad Pitt character is riveting and presumably one reason why no studio has attempted to film this Fitzgerald book earlier. Brad Pitt should win an Oscar for his performance. Cate Blanchett similarly although I fear 2009 could be Brangelina year