Surprisingly magnificent

Rating: Null/10 (14 August 2000)

I'll keep this short and sweet. This is the kind of film that could've easily been a disaster. It could've been poorly cast and acted (see Keanu Reeves in the Matrix), the dialogue could've been mindless filler (see Keanu Reeves in the Matrix), it could've been a badly edited 2 1/2 hour movie, it could've been a substance-less special effects vehicle, it could've been overly dramatic or improperly stylized, the list goes on and on. Fortunately, it was none of those things. Instead, the director served up a tight, well thought-out, and thoroughly engrossing movie that did not take itself too seriously. Go see it if you haven't.