Excellent concept, but poorly conceived

Rating: Null/10 (24 December 2001)

As far as plot goes this will be about the most original one you see in a while, and the ending is definitely unpredictable. However, there was one fundamental problem about this movie. It was very, very slow.
In actuality I have no problems with slow movies. In themes that deal with loss and uncertainty it can actually add great atmosphere. But this movie wasn't about that: it was about trauma and awe, which would likely involve a faster pace. In many parts it didn't take itself seriously (Bruce Willis' character plays a security guard on a cross country trip for a security guard job interview) and considering the deliberate pace it made it seem kind of ridiculous.
My greatest misgiving is the fact many parts were left in that should have been left out and parts were left out that should have been in: The DVD Special Edition has 3 deleted scenes: One with Willis' character having a mental breakdown in a bathtub, one with Jackson's character as a small boy facing a very dehumanizing situation at a carnival, and the third with Willis' character having a heated argument with the Priest at his parish about the train derailment. Since the characters otherwise seemed wooden and emotionless, adding these scenes would have made the movie so much more profound and powerful, and perhaps may touch base on some questions that were otherwise left unanswered throughout the film.
Although a very fascinating picture, it was flawed by a leisure pace that was extremely inappropriate, and it was too vague in trying to encompass the events and how they effected the characters in the film.