Nicely paced thriller; not exactly original

Rating: 8/10 (24 December 2001)

Overall, I liked this. It was pretty intelligent most of the time, despite a tendency to talk down to the audience. Probably the most notable thing about this film is its unyielding romanticism regarding the universe, which is admirable in any film these days.
This film owes a LOT, though, to David Lynch. The plot structure, characters, and thematics felt like they were all ripped from Lynch's films. Crowe not so subtly pulls in elements from Blue Velvet, Lost Highway, and the recent Mulholland Drive to tell his story. This naturally puts Crowe in a harsh light, since his use of the elements is not nearly so masterful as Lynch's. Instead of a stream of consciousness film about the human condition, we have one that paints itself into a corner and then struggles fervently to get out- although it should be noted that the film DOES succeed, the ending only passes the credibility test by the skin of its teeth.
That said, this is worth seeing. Certainly one of the better films to come out lately.