Polished production, very watchable out of curiosity, but ultimately dull and vacuous.

Rating: 3/10 (31 January 2013)

Three out of ten might seem a bit mean, but it reflects my overall view after watching the movie twice. I just found it left a vacuum. The narrative tension was weak, and dependent on spaghetti western tactics of having a few gunshots or explosions every now and then to keep the audience interested. Jessica was entertainingly intense, but the rest of the ensemble gave middling, safe performances.
Bigelow directs well, but only in the sense of giving a professional, technically polished production. Where's the emotion and human involvement? It'll keep you watching and you won't be bored, but I suspect this will rapidly fade in movie-goer consciousness once the hype dies down.