Would Seem to Require Too Much Thought for a Lot of Folks

Rating: 8/10 (31 March 2008)

This is a much better film than the user rating would indicate. It is slow by U.S. standards but to call it dull is to say more about yourself than the film. It has a rather European sensibility.
Matt Damon is really quite effective in his role. At six the character is just outside the door when his father shoots himself and the boy finds the body. The psychological impact would be profound. The boy then slips the suicide note into his pocket and says the shooting was an accident, thus establishing the core of his life -- keeping secrets. This is a buttoned up, deeply disturbed human being but he attempts to give his life meaning by serving his country. Perhaps to effectively practice spy craft one has to be a little mad.
The performances are uniformly good with one exception. The lad who plays Damon's son is just not up to the demands of the part. The character is supposed to be weak, but is this case it is the performance that is weak. I particularly liked Michael Gambon is a complex and layered roll.
I'll file a minority report and highly recommend this one to any one who doesn't require an explosion or a car chase every five minutes to hold their interest. If thinking hurts your head, skip this one.