uneven and gives away few secrets, a lost opportunity

Rating: 6/10 (15 November 2009)

For sure there are people who found this moving to be revealing and perhaps shocking. However, if you were already aware of the real history of the 20th century, it is soft, almost pablum. Only once does it start to really cut through the hype and deception and start to get at reality. I won't give it away directly but look for it during an interrogation.
Most of the acting is effective and at times, excellent. Angelina Jolie is probably the biggest acting disappointment but her material was one of the weakest parts of the writing and it could be argued that giving her that role was not a good casting decision. In fact, the entire handling of the marriage and relationship between Damon and Jolie felt more like an awkward sub-plot rather than one of the main building blocks of the film which it was.
The set direction and lighting were very good. The camera angles and editing were conventional and relaxed but there are times when one gets the impression that some more dynamic work in those areas could have added to the movie.