JakeStevens Blog

Very torn about this film. I think the power of the story is undeniable, but Steven Spielberg's direction is maudlin and oversentamentalized, which takes away the power of the statement. The best moment of this film is Anthony Hopkins' 10 minute monologue, which is truly inspired, the worst is Anna Paquin's terrible Spanish accent. I found John Williams' score distracting at times, particularly the French Horns (don't get me wrong, I love French Horns) that would be playing underneath some important exposition. Cinque's backflash of his journey to America is horrifying, much like Schindler's List, but those moments are few and far between. And could Morgan Freeman be more underutilized? Sheesh! A big, fat Hollywood movie that should have been lean and mean.

I keep reading that this film is "Bergman-esque". Unfortunately, I have yet to see an Ingmar Bergman film. As such, this film plays like a book reads - it's very lyrical and wordy, but rightly so. The characters are all sophisticated and upper-class and filled with middle-aged angst. Very interesting stuff. In a nutshell, I would say this film is like viewing someone's imagination while reading another person's diary. Once again, Woody Allen scores!

I remember when this came out, everyone was freaking out about how scary and "good" this film was. So when it came out on DVD, I rented it. Sure, the ending catches you off guard - the first time you see it. On this, my second viewing, I was thoroughly unimpressed with this film. Sorry, folks - I just don't see how this could warrent three sequels (which I haven't seen). It's slightly remeniscent of better films (Seven comes to mind). Not my cup of tea, but for the gorehound-crowd, possibly a milestone...?