Good action movie, poor characters

Rating: 7/10 (18 September 2009)

I am really wondering "did I see the same movie as everybody else here?". This movie is very decent, very well filmed and edited, keeps tension very high all through. But what are those cheap plastic characters? Are those emotions? Is this film trying to portray the subtleties and nuances of human soul amidst chaos?
Well, if that was the director's goal, he failed miserably. Each single one of the main characters seemed empty and cliché'ed. And that's a pity, because the film and the story could have been a masterpiece in the hands of someone like Spielberg. Just watch Saving Private Ryan and you will understand instantly what I mean.
I am just shocked that this film, which is OK as a commercial film but is emotionally blunt, got 98% in Rottentomatoes and 8 in IMDb. I just don't get it. Still, watch it. Just don't expect it to change your vision of the world...