A sorry excuse for a movie

Rating: 5/10 (22 October 2006)

There is nothing profound or interesting about this movie. It is choppy and confusing, and seems like it drags on forever. It has long series of plot holes instead of a plot. The two main characters are neither interesting nor likable. The main premise (which leads to the great "denouement" at the end) is not only obvious, it's ridiculous. The movie says nothing about ambition or the quest for perfection or any of the other deep stuff people pretend to see in it. It's about a couple of guys so consumed by mutual hatred and envy that they can't seem to get a life of their own. This movie makes The Illusionist seem plausible and coherent by comparison. A waste of talent, especially Michael Caine's.