SPOILERS THROUGH:
I didn't think this was great, certainly not a movie along the lines of a "Usual Suspects" or "House Of Games" which are two of my favorites. But this movie is interesting and keeps one's attention. As long as one doesn't expect a masterpiece it maybe worth seeing.
One positive is that the movie actually manages to surprise. In a movie world of predictability, this one is rather unpredictable. I didn't know what was coming moment to moment and the end was a genuine surprise. I thought, at times, the movie was going to go in completely different directions. So the fact that the movie pulls off the "twist and turn" aspect is good and these twists are actually rather original as well.
And the performances were good particularly Witherspoon. The shadowy imagery fit well and for film noir purists this isn't a bad choice. It sure keeps one's interest despite, at times being a little draggy.
But overall it still lacks the impact of the above mentioned movies. And the twists, while original, aren't really all that fascinating particularly the last one which lacks believability. The ending makes the movie almost a romance but for some reason it kind of fits.
All in all this is a movie I'm ambivalent about. I would not recommend it as a must see but it's not bad either and is somewhat absorbing. I'd say it's around a 6.5 of 10 and is neither bad nor excellent. It maybe good to view as a late night and as long as one's not expecting a perfect 10 , this can make an interesting movie choice.
I didn't think this was great, certainly not a movie along the lines of a "Usual Suspects" or "House Of Games" which are two of my favorites. But this movie is interesting and keeps one's attention. As long as one doesn't expect a masterpiece it maybe worth seeing.
One positive is that the movie actually manages to surprise. In a movie world of predictability, this one is rather unpredictable. I didn't know what was coming moment to moment and the end was a genuine surprise. I thought, at times, the movie was going to go in completely different directions. So the fact that the movie pulls off the "twist and turn" aspect is good and these twists are actually rather original as well.
And the performances were good particularly Witherspoon. The shadowy imagery fit well and for film noir purists this isn't a bad choice. It sure keeps one's interest despite, at times being a little draggy.
But overall it still lacks the impact of the above mentioned movies. And the twists, while original, aren't really all that fascinating particularly the last one which lacks believability. The ending makes the movie almost a romance but for some reason it kind of fits.
All in all this is a movie I'm ambivalent about. I would not recommend it as a must see but it's not bad either and is somewhat absorbing. I'd say it's around a 6.5 of 10 and is neither bad nor excellent. It maybe good to view as a late night and as long as one's not expecting a perfect 10 , this can make an interesting movie choice.