I'm sorry so many people didn't like it

Rating: 9/10 (12 March 2010)

I want to preface this by saying I am in no way a fan of pretentious art house dreck, but I didn't find this movie to be in that category.
It's definitely on the slow side but I didn't really have a problem with the pace given the content. I have to admit I was sucked in. I thought they did an excellent job putting you in that time period and it felt very historically accurate to me. I thought the lack of dialogue at the beginning was a risk that paid off. It made me curious and interested enough to start anticipating what would come after.
I thought Daniel Day-Lewis did a great job. I think his performance starts springing some leaks in the last 45 minutes or so but otherwise I thought it was spectacular. It's a great portrayal of a character who you hate to love if you're one of those people that realizes that the anti-hero or villain is usually the most daring and interesting character.
Like I said I almost always hate movies that are slow-paced and aren't at least punctuated with a few grand scenes but I didn't feel that way here. I think the reasons are those stated above: the settings just jumped off the screen and felt real and Daniel Day-Lewis gave me a character I was highly intrigued by and couldn't see enough of.
This definitely isn't a movie you watch with your spouse while reading the paper or pause in the middle to grab and eat a pizza, but if you're in the mood to engross yourself in a movie you might get a lot out of it.