Good Drama, Spy Movie, and Life Examination

Rating: 10/10 (4 March 2008)

What this movie focuses on continually changes and unfolds, but centrally it's about choices; how all of us try to make decisions and go with what will work best. Still, there will be things you didn't do right. It's about regrets, mistakes, weakness, purity, and deception.
The acting is all top notch and the direction (by Robert DiNiro,) who clearly has given the players the vibe he wants out of each scene, is excellent. The tone of the film is consistently melancholy and distanced, to convey the heaviness of the pervasive secret world of espionage in which Edward, the main character (Matt Damon) lives. There are a lot of shadows used in this film, a symbol of the hidden and unearthliness of the "spooks" who glide through their lives carefully plotting and counter-plotting through wars, and around wars. The time-line of the piece sea-saws between past and present history - which is sometimes difficult to track - but works itself out without much effort on the viewer's part.
This film is not for everyone. It's not glossy, sexy, or action-packed. It's a long investment time-wise, but the pacing works. If you are indulgent in allowing the plot to unfold, and are not requiring a film with car chases, then this film offers a story that moves and is not overly cerebral with dialogue that's not sleepy. It's easy enough to follow and complicated enough to seem evolved from real life. This film is well-crafted and employs rich vintage colors to tell an interesting story through characters that are multi-dimensional and worth caring about. If you view the bonus material on the DVD, you will be treated to an entire sub-plot that intensifies the theme of the film. Really, for spy movie enthusiasts a must-see, and for others a solid film worth investing in.