Paul Haggis

Think "In the Heat of the Night" adapted to the Iraq War -- sharp outsider shows the good ole boys how to conduct an investigation. Or Erin Brockovich, this time taking on the US Army.

Tommy Lee Jones, a retired military investigator, may have been hauling gravel for the twenty years since he took his pension, but single-handed he can still find more useful evidence in five minutes than a squad of active professionals working overtime. He is also the stereotype of the loyal ex-soldier who show more still lives in the military after years on civvy street. He's so bottled up that he can scarcely speak.

Charlize Theron is the courageous detective who tries to ignore the sexist boors she works with because she's the only one in the office who is willing to Seek The Truth.

Susan Sarandon does an unnecessary turn as a grieving military mother, unnecessary because the plot could proceed perfectly well without her. Stoking up the emotional fires seems to be her character's principal raison d'etre.

It's never clear what exactly brought about Mike Deerfield's gruesome murder. Because the final explanation we're offered may still be the Army's lie, we don't find out who's responsible. Like a wasp in a jar, George W. Bush drones on in the background, making press statement after press statement proclaiming steady progress in Fallujah. Subtle? Ahh, nope.

Nor is there any subtlety in the mawkish final scene, so weighted with heavy symbolism (carefully explained long beforehand, as to children) that Jones needs several layers of duct tape to keep it in place. show less

Disturbing, as it was meant to be, and yet unengaging. No matter how many descriptions of car interiors and exteriors, juxtaposed with wounds and sex, this was a very unsexy story. Interesting as an experiment, written in a repetitive style to approach hypnotic, but probably not one I'll ever want to reread

A female boxer gets a grouchy trainer.

The first couple acts are okay - very well performed and shot, sometimes funny, but nothing exceptional. The last 45 minutes or so, which I gather are supposed to be the emotional weight of the film, are boring. It's an excellent story, and I can see how the story it's based on could be very powerful, but they just completely failed to make me feel any connection to it. Possibly because it feels like a separate story from the first half of the movie. And show more then there's no resolution for Eastwood's character (the main character), which is extremely frustrating. show less

James Bond kicks ass and plays cards.

The first part (James Bond Kicks Ass) is all kinds of amazing. The second part (James Bond Plays Cards) slows down a lot, but is still good. The third part (James Bond Doesn't Know the Movie Isn't Over Yet) is pretty bad. Even the action scene at the end is a sloppy mess.

Concept: B
Story: C
Characters: B
Dialog: B
Pacing: D
Cinematography: B
Special effects/design: B
Acting: B
Music: B

Enjoyment: A

GPA: 2.8/4