Well made, well-acted, great story, but not one of the greatest of all time

Rating: 8/10 (25 January 2005)

I've been meaning to see this movie for several years now, having heard all the hype and comments rating this as one of the best films of all time. It certainly wasn't disappointing- despite the relatively slow pace compared to most brainless blockbusters of today and tendency towards sentimentality that crept up from time to time. It certainly wasn't one of the greatest of all films, in my opinion, either; simply an intriguing story, with something to teach us, perhaps, very well told and very well acted. It's probably a movie I'd watch again, though not straight away, as it is quite slow paced, and, just towards the end, I felt it was getting a little too drawn out. But it's very good to look at, there are some great performances, a nice musical score from Thomas Newman, and a great plot, with a wonderful twist at the end. So, overall this is a very good movie and one I would recommend.
8/10