Sixty examples of Awful

Rating: Null/10 (13 November 2004)

Bale's transformation is shocking, but in the service of what? A ridiculous, pretentious, overwrought story that seems to think throwing in Dostoevsky is somehow a sign of intellectual depth. The pov of this story is muddled beyond belief -- although clearly not in "the real world" we are neither in lunatic land (too realistically presented) nor slowly going insane ville (as Bale's own physical appearance cuts against that; he's clearly six degrees around the bend already). Much of the symbolism is belabored and obvious -- if you haven't figured it all out by halfway through the picture, you need to see more movies -- and the actual lines are often wince-inducing. It's such a shame the acting is stellar throughout, as it seems like such a waste. I actually walked out of this, one of the rare times I've ever done that. One of the worst movies of the year.