It's a little disappointing to read the reviews to this film. True, it is quite complex (I didn't figure it out until four hours after the movie ended), and will probably take two viewings to make sense of it all, but I think it is a very good film that rewards such attention.
The opening hour is fairly static and lays out a massive amount of information. I was getting a little antsy, feeling like the film was floundering, but, for me at least, the second hour just became more, and more, and more exciting. I had to pee for the final hour and could never find a safe time to leave my seat! In retrospect you need all that info in the first half in order to start reaping rewards during the second half, but I fear that most people have given up by that time.
It's unfortunate that people routinely confuse a character that is supposed to be very unemotional with a blank and lifeless performance. I didn't like Josh Harnett until I saw Wicker Park, in which I came to appreciate how he can go from reserved to emotional wreck in 0.3 seconds. He is playing an emotionally reserved character, folks! His nickname is "Mr. Ice," right?
And I'm afraid that the Eckhart character's story won't come into focus until you've sorted the entire movie out, which may be hours after the movie has ended. Here's my interpretation of the Lee story, including massive spoilers:
Spoilers! Lee was involved in crooked business with the Linscott family, Hilary Swank's family. This is why he knew that the criminal was going to be in the brothel at the beginning. When Harnett threw him the matchbook and he saw Linscott's name, he knew that their investigation into the Black Dahlia murder could expose his own wrongdoing and ruin him. This is why he gets so obsessed with solving the case, and also cannot speak to anyone about why he's so obsessed. Spoilers end!
Anyway, this is a very well put-together movie that does require a great deal of attention. It's unfortunate that modern audiences seem to need everything explained to them and are unwilling to do any thinking whatsoever, but it is fortunate that De Palma continues to ignore them and make movies as intelligent as he wants to make them.
---- Hey, if I haven't annoyed you, visit my website devoted (mostly) to bad and cheesy movies: Cinema de Merde. You can find the URL in my email address.
The opening hour is fairly static and lays out a massive amount of information. I was getting a little antsy, feeling like the film was floundering, but, for me at least, the second hour just became more, and more, and more exciting. I had to pee for the final hour and could never find a safe time to leave my seat! In retrospect you need all that info in the first half in order to start reaping rewards during the second half, but I fear that most people have given up by that time.
It's unfortunate that people routinely confuse a character that is supposed to be very unemotional with a blank and lifeless performance. I didn't like Josh Harnett until I saw Wicker Park, in which I came to appreciate how he can go from reserved to emotional wreck in 0.3 seconds. He is playing an emotionally reserved character, folks! His nickname is "Mr. Ice," right?
And I'm afraid that the Eckhart character's story won't come into focus until you've sorted the entire movie out, which may be hours after the movie has ended. Here's my interpretation of the Lee story, including massive spoilers:
Spoilers! Lee was involved in crooked business with the Linscott family, Hilary Swank's family. This is why he knew that the criminal was going to be in the brothel at the beginning. When Harnett threw him the matchbook and he saw Linscott's name, he knew that their investigation into the Black Dahlia murder could expose his own wrongdoing and ruin him. This is why he gets so obsessed with solving the case, and also cannot speak to anyone about why he's so obsessed. Spoilers end!
Anyway, this is a very well put-together movie that does require a great deal of attention. It's unfortunate that modern audiences seem to need everything explained to them and are unwilling to do any thinking whatsoever, but it is fortunate that De Palma continues to ignore them and make movies as intelligent as he wants to make them.
---- Hey, if I haven't annoyed you, visit my website devoted (mostly) to bad and cheesy movies: Cinema de Merde. You can find the URL in my email address.
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