At first it is hard to pin down why this film just doesn't work. Ultimately it is a preachy, dull -- and dull minded -- mediocre work.
Ok, so we have the intersecting story line. Not only is this getting tired but it is becoming the refuge of second rate ideas. Essentially a gimmick, and it is painfully just that here.
Then we have philosophy "lite", ie some Socratic musings smattered with a bit of plagiarism of Plutarch and a mention of August. Its undergrad "western philosophy 101" haphazardly superimposed over unimportant events and uninteresting people.
The kicker is the completely inappropriate apologia for predatory violence. Explain muggers who assault their victims, or rapists, or any other violent criminal as essentially no different than you or I, is just insulting. That is not a case of but the grace of god there go you or I, it is a case of a very small proportion of the population habitually committing predatory violence and choosing to permanently harm people
Ok, so we have the intersecting story line. Not only is this getting tired but it is becoming the refuge of second rate ideas. Essentially a gimmick, and it is painfully just that here.
Then we have philosophy "lite", ie some Socratic musings smattered with a bit of plagiarism of Plutarch and a mention of August. Its undergrad "western philosophy 101" haphazardly superimposed over unimportant events and uninteresting people.
The kicker is the completely inappropriate apologia for predatory violence. Explain muggers who assault their victims, or rapists, or any other violent criminal as essentially no different than you or I, is just insulting. That is not a case of but the grace of god there go you or I, it is a case of a very small proportion of the population habitually committing predatory violence and choosing to permanently harm people