A Terrific Suspense Event

Rating: 10/10 (5 June 2006)

This movie is elegant, entertaining, and enthralling from beginning to end. The acting is superb. Ron Howard has done an excellent job in bringing to the screen a very fast-paced intricate thriller. Even though I have read the book and knew what to expect the staging was done so well that my attention was riveted throughout.
As usual, Tom Hanks demonstrates his ability to bring a complex character to life. Some reviews have suggested his character is stodgy. Well, duh!, his character is supposed to be a university professor in a stodgy, rather arcane discipline whose life is reviewing ancient manuscripts. Tom brings this stodgy, reflective professor to the adventure, always reflective, often reluctant to actually enter the fray.