JPRaup

Plot Outline: An assistant DA (Gosling) is caught up in a game of cat-and-mouse with a man (Hopkins) who tried to murder his wife and is set free on a series of technicalities



Caught a preview screening tonight.

The performances were great and the whole movie was engrossing. When I walked out I was disappointed though. It is a movie I probably wont remember in even a couple weeks and I have already stopped thinking about it with just 5 hours out of the movie. Not much is truly memorable. Gosling does a great job as a lawyer and there are many funny parts both from Gosling and Hopkins. The "twist" felt like it could have been alot more. When the movie ends does just that, there is nothing more to it. If I paid to go see it I wouldn't have been disappointed, just not thrilled. I'd give it a B- or 3/5

matome

This looks interesting. I'll be checking it out.

BravesMG

I'll be at this one for sure, I just wish the trailer didn't give away so much. I hope there's more interesting stuff than what we've already seen.

Indy Jones Fan

I caught a preview last night as well. I too found the entire movie interesting and engaging. Sir Anthony is always a pleasure to watch especially in a role like this. Almost Lecter-like at times. Too bad he didn't get more screen time.

I think that was why it was so effective. I left the theater feeling stupid because I didn't figure it out!

Not at all really. What you see in the trailer is the hook. The rest of the movie deals with trying to solve the mystery.

I'll give it a B+ maybe A-

marty888

Looking forward to this - it's one of the few theatrical trailers from the past few trips to the movies that caught my attention.

BravesMG

Good deal. I'm much more excited to see this now, bumped up to opening weekend status for me.

cdollaz

I thought it was good also. I wouldn't really call the big reveal a twist as it is something that can be figured out if you think about it. We figured it out:

Good performances all around although I didn't really see "many funny parts" as the first poster did.

The Bus

If you don't want people to know there's a twist, don't mention that there's a twist.

This movie looks good. Sounds like a good matinee-r.

SPiRAL

I had tix to the premiere, but had way too many clients that night. I might catch it this wekend.

Geofferson

I caught a screening last night and was impressed. A very solid movie all-around (with some funny moments scattered throughout). Worth the positive buzz it's been receiving.

invisiblegt

It was definitely a rather disappointing venture.

Acting: Hopkins, as has been noted many times prior, basically played the role as Lecter-lite, adding nothing to his performance sans a little light-heartedness here and there.

Gosling: While a decent performance, his decision to litter his character with various tics and eccentricities hurt the movie.

There was little mood to the film, and, while the directing was good, it rarely rose above "perfunctory."

And as for the story in general (spoilers detailing the ending):

Overall, I felt it to be a weak addition to Ryan Gosling's resume, and a disappointment in general.

EDIT: I made the error of using the suffix "-ed," as opposed to "-ing," in the spelling of "disappointing" in the lead sentence.

The Bus

I thought the exact opposite as invisiblegt. I was half-expecting a weak thriller (something akin to Perfect Stranger or some Ashley Judd movie you might catch on cable) but this was a very nice surprise. Yes, Anthony Hopkins plays Lecter-lite but the movie was extremely well made and the back-and-forth between Gosling and Hopkins was worth the ticket price alone. I do think the directing was half-hearted (and the excessive light bloom from the DP didn't help). I'd call it perhaps the best TV movie or episode of Law & Order I've ever seen. Just a great, solid cast, an entertaining story (not surprising or predictable), and a great way to spend two hours.

madara

Was a solid thriller I enjoyed even with the audio coming in and out at my chosen cinema. Figured by the time i got home there would be folks debating the finer points of law and how obvious some parts were but I didnt see it coming. I was too focused on his creations.

Patman

While I enjoyed the film, it's a little long (could have been tightened up here and there), and doesn't really delve into Anthony Hopkins' character all that much, perhaps purposefully so, in this cat-n-mouse crime drama. Ryan Gosling's character, Willy, gets caught flat-footed on his last case as a prosecutor before moving on to a cushy lawfirm position.

It definitely worthy of a matinee viewing if you're fan of either of lead actors.

I give it 2.75 stars, or a grade of B-.

conscience

He does this in every movie he's in and, to me, they always work with the character he is playing. It's like he adds so much to the character that even if the script is horrendous (Murder by Numbers) he always stands out with his eccentricities (perfect word, btw) as an actor.

However this movie was very trying. I felt it would never end (and for a film under two hours that's a big negative). Both Gosling and Hopkins were great but the story left much to be desired. The ending, while "surprising", really wasn't all that fulfilling. It felt like they couldn't come up with anything else, but this was not the first ending the cast and crew filmed.

And the music was horrible!

JimRochester

Just got home from a 10:00 showing and enjoyed the movie. On the downside; I figured out the "twist" way before the cliche giveaway but I didn't figure out the when like some people did. I figured it happened during the commotion.

People chewing gum can be real annoying and I thought his character chewing the gum in the beginning was distracting.

A couple of gorgeous woman and no gratuitous nudity!! What the hell is up with that?

It's a solid B+ or an A- even with the obvious flaws

Patman

I did enjoy staring at Rosamund Pike.

Trevor

I expected to love it, but was very disappointed.

I agree strongly with the above spoiler, and will add that there were several other plot holes or silly mistakes by the characters.
I'm glad it was a free ticket for me.

JimRochester

devilshalo

It was rather meh. I guess watching too many L&O episodes pretty much made the plot laughably predictable to me.

movielib

In Plotholeville and Legalnonsenseland it came dangerously close to the abysmal Double Jeopardy and anything by David Kelley. I was expecting that Hopkins' plan was indeed brilliant but these cops and lawyers had to be idiots to not figure it out even with the limited time brought on by the absolutely ridiculous time frame within which the case went to trial (see the aforementioned David Kelley). And I could mention numerous other problems as well.

But still, it was fun and interesting throughout as long as I turned off my disbelief detector. Yet the more I think about it afterwards, I know the less I'll care for it.

TheStoicPaisano

I think Ted could be excused for this considering

Dave99

I thought it was good up until the twist, that part didn't sit well with me at all.

Daytripper

Finally caught this (via Netflix) and I loved it. Great performances all around. Also, very nice score and beautifully shot. Could be one of my favorites of 2007.

uncle-frank

i thought it was desent, the only thing is, admittingly i am not the best at figuring movies like these out until the end, but this one i actually had it figured out pretty quick, so i dunno if anyone would want to own it, i think its more of a rental.