Jessica Biel surprises

Rating: 8/10 (30 September 2006)

Norton, Giamatti, and Sewell are all accomplished, intelligent actors and turned in very good performances, as expected. The question mark for me was Jessica Biel, after just watching Scarlett J, who is supposed to be the much better actress, doing a terrible job in Hollywoodland, another period piece. Doing the math after the end of the back story on the characters' childhoods, I wondered how Biel (who I think is still under 25) could play an aristocrat in her mid 30s when her last co-star was a talking plane. Instead she did a great job. She gave her character some depth and provided enough justification for why two very capable and powerful, each in his own way, men would fight for her. She reminds me of Jenny Agutter, an actress that I've always liked. Hopefully I won't see her in Blade 4 or Stealth 2 and now she'll get an opportunity for better roles.