A good film which entertains the audience, but doesn't bring out the best in a movie

Rating: 7/10 (14 July 2007)

Well i just watched this film and i have to say, it did pass over to me as quite a good flick. It's nothing which stands out to me, especially seeing a lot of other big gangster films. The script had it's cheesy moments, with the occasional cheesy scene (a prime example would be with Agent Oscar Wallace's character on the bridge. Not only is his "Rambo" style of shooting slightly boring to watch, i hated the cheesy part when he drinks from the pouring alcohol spill). I know that these are here for entertainment purposes, but i just found them too clichéd. The supporting cast also used the same techniques.
Kevin Costners character is pretty dismal as well. With Costner, i never see him interact with his character, he's just too normal and boring. Plus his voice pisses me off. It just has that slight twang to it which hits a high note, and is yet so dreary to listen to.
Some of the camera shots annoyed me a little, and didn't really contain all the focus points you want to see in shot, even though we get the feeling that we are meant to see it.
Finally, there are some small imperfections in the film, such as the text at the beginning was quite difficult to read. Now on to the positives.
I found the musical score to be pretty good in this actually. It's nothing special, but it put me in the mood of the 1930's, and did add some tension to the film.
I found De Niro and Connery both pulled off a great performance. De Niro really captures a character which is very exciting to watch. When Capone came on screen, i knew that i would enjoy that scene. I think it's the fact that he's such a dominant character which makes it exciting. The scene with the baseball bat is probably my favourite from the film, and definitely one of my favourites from any movie. Connery also plays a great role, although at times his script felt clumsy (not Connerys fault though, he still played those parts very well). His final scene in the movie reflects who he is throughout the movie.
The film also pulled off some fantastic scenes. As i have mentioned, pretty much all of De Niro's scene's are classics (especially the baseball scene), the shootout on the stairs, and some of the other fight scenes.
I'll give this film a 7/10, on the pure fact that i don't think the film knows what direction it is taking. In places it seems average, whilst in other places, it feels like a classic. If the film was more consistent, i would definitely rate it as one of my favourite films. However, it doesn't, which is why it's a 7/10 for me.