Very impressed with this film....

Rating: 9/10 (6 March 2009)

First off I've never read the graphic novel so I had no expectations besides seeing the trailer. Zack Snyder already impressed me with the Dawn of the Dead remake & 300. He did not disappoint one bit, This is the most extreme hard hitting comic book ever made. I can't believe this film got an R for all the stuff that was in this movie. Violence & gore galore, pregnant woman getting killed, basically a scene straight from a porn, plenty of blue body parts, & other stuff.
Jackie Earle Haley (Bad News Bears, Losin' It, Dollman, Nemesis, Maniac Cop 3, Little Children, All the King's Men, & Semi-Pro) gave the performance of a lifetime as Walter Kovacs / Rorschach. I've always thought he was a good actor especially after seeing All the King's Men & Little Children but never thought he could pull off such a cool role as Rorschach. He's a small guy & he never seemed like someone that would seem threatening but he really outdid himself on this film. I must say his performance rivals Heath Ledger in last year's Dark Knight. Jeffrey Dean Morgan (Burning Zone, Dead & Breakfast, P.S. I Love You, Supernatural, & Grey's Anatomy) looks like Javier Bardem's twin brother, it's really crazy how much they are alike. I've never really seen anything else from this guy but he was very impressive as Edward Blake / The Comedian in his supporting role. He was my second favorite character after Rorschach, He was insane & killed with no problem, I loved it.
I'm surprised no one else is talking about (Angels in America, The Alamo, The Phantom of the Opera, Hard Candy, Little Children, Running with Scissors, & Lakeview Terrace) Patrick Wilson's performance, He was very good in this. It's good to see him getting more lead roles these days. I respect this guy, he's not afraid to take a risk. Stuff like Little Children, Hard Candy, & Angels in America are all very interesting roles/projects to do. Billy Crudup (Sleepers, Almost Famous, Big Fish, The Good Shepherd, Mission: Impossible III, Monument Ave. & Waking the Dead) was good in this but I expected better from him considering his past work. Plus he was way too exposed in this, every time he was on screen I wanted to scream out "PUT ON SOME PANTS". They showed way too much of his self in this, I don't care if it was pink, blue, or whatever it was too much really. I would have rather seen more of Malin Akerman nude in this. Regardless, he still had a good performance in this but I've seen better performances from him in other films. Stephen McHattie (XIII, Shoot 'Em Up, 300, The Fountain, Beverly Hills Cop III, & Seinfeld), Carla Gugino (Son in Law, Jaded, Snake Eyes, Spin City, Chicago Hope, Karen Sisco, Sin City, & Righteous Kill), & Matt Frewer (Max Headroom, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, Doctor Doctor, The Stand, National Lampoon's Senior Trip, Lawnmower Man 2, PSI Factor, House of Mouse, Dawn of the Dead, Desperation, & Riding the Bullet) were really good in their small roles.
Now on to the weakest links.... Matthew Goode (Chasing Liberty, Match Point, Imagine Me & You, Copying Beethoven, & The Lookout) was excellent in The Lookout & had a better performance in Woody Allen's Match Point but in this he was a little above average but nothing special compared to the others. I hate to say this but Malin Akerman (Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, The Comeback, Brothers Solomon, Heartbreak Kid, & 27 Dresses) is a horrible actress for the most part but this was her best performance so far but that's not really saying much. I will give her this, she looked really sexy in this movie & her nude scenes were more impressive than the one in The Heartbreak Kid. I don't understand why she was casted tho, maybe the actresses that Zack Snyder wanted didn't want to get nude or do that borderline porn love scene. Look at his past leading ladies Sarah Polley & Lena Headey, both have a lot more talent and I consider them both more attractive than Malin Akerman. I will say some of song choices in the film were interesting but most of them fit. Not sure how much I liked the ending, I will have to think about this. If you have almost 3 hours to kill, this is worth checking out on the big screen with it's great visual & special effects.