Great Movie; takes an unoriginal concept and does it right for the first time.

Rating: 9/10 (7 April 2008)

The only things I didn't really like about this movie are the unoriginal basic concept, and the predictable twist. Other than that it is very well done.
The movie is based around the idea of a tormented individual with a guilty conscience creating guilty figures in his mind whom he pursues to bring to justice, and ultimately, discovers his own guilt. Various versions of this idea have been done quite a bit and it tends to get a little old, which is one thing that made the twist more predictable.
As for the twist, the movie was obviously intended to make the viewer think that there was an elaborate conspiracy against the main character, which would be even less original, had it been the case, but reveal that it is all his internal struggle to bring himself to justice. The issue is that you never really trust the main character as an entirely mentally stable person, especially as you are given a number of clues of his insanity, so when other reliable characters, ones who have no apparent motive to be involved with this conspiracy, other than possibly money, as mentioned by the main character, contradict his claims, you are naturally inclined to believe them. Basically, aside from specifics, there are no surprises at the end.
However, in these flaws there are some very unique qualities. For one, as I mentioned, you never really trust the main character, and for that matter, he's not very likable either. It seems like every other movie like this one, the central character is portrayed as some together, happy individual in order to make him seem more trustworthy and make the twist less predictable. I, personally, don't think sacrificing the realism is worth it. Trevor gradually deteriorates from a lonely blue-collar worker with minor issues with obsessiveness and insomnia through several stages of psychosis, until he finally sheds it all with the admission of his guilt, and can finally sleep again with his return to reality. Movies that are somewhat similar (High Tension , Memento, etc.) portray a totally innocent, trustworthy character throughout the movie, then dump on the reality at the very last minute. Sure, it's shocking, but it's hard to buy, and really hurts the believability of the characters.
Within his mind, aside from Trevor pursuing Ivan, the incarnation of his own guilt, he also pursues the victims of his crime for reconciliation. The time spent with Marie seem to distract from the main plot until the end. It is the only time in the movie you feel you actually like Trevor.
Aside from the plot, this photography in this film is beautiful and really captures the mood of the story.
9/10