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- First reviewJuly 20, 2008
- Last reviewJuly 20, 2008
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clevchi72's Reviews
Overall rating
5
/
5
A Crime Epic
PostedJuly 20, 2008
clevchi72
from Chicago, IL
This was close to a perfect film. Mr. Nolan was clearly influenced by Heat and the French Connection in terms of pacing and structure. This film had all the elements of a classic crime drama. The overall tone was extremely somber but ended with just enough hope to send even average filmgoers home happy.
The only flaw was pacing. Strangely, the movie was both too short, yet had subplots that could have been edited or eliminated in order to retain the same running time. The ultimate transformation of a central character would have benefited from a few more minutes of character development, and the first few action sequences seem a bit episodic and disconnected from the central plot.
The minor quibbles with pacing are not enough to prevent this film from deserving all the praise it has received. The late Mr. Ledger's performance does take the film to another level and he is deserving of an Oscar nomination. However, Bale and Eckhart certainly hold up their ends, and Bale, particularly, seems confident being the center of tentpole film. Overall, this is one of the two best films I have seen of the past two years (the other being Sidney Lumet's brilliant Before the Devil Knows You're Dead), and this is certainly the most well-conceived and well-executed summer blockbuster I have ever seen. If Return of the King can receive an Oscar, this brilliant, thought-provoking (albeit slightly flawed) fantasy/crime epic deserves at least three Oscar nominations: Best Picture, Best Director and Best Supporting Actor. Please go see this film.
The only flaw was pacing. Strangely, the movie was both too short, yet had subplots that could have been edited or eliminated in order to retain the same running time. The ultimate transformation of a central character would have benefited from a few more minutes of character development, and the first few action sequences seem a bit episodic and disconnected from the central plot.
The minor quibbles with pacing are not enough to prevent this film from deserving all the praise it has received. The late Mr. Ledger's performance does take the film to another level and he is deserving of an Oscar nomination. However, Bale and Eckhart certainly hold up their ends, and Bale, particularly, seems confident being the center of tentpole film. Overall, this is one of the two best films I have seen of the past two years (the other being Sidney Lumet's brilliant Before the Devil Knows You're Dead), and this is certainly the most well-conceived and well-executed summer blockbuster I have ever seen. If Return of the King can receive an Oscar, this brilliant, thought-provoking (albeit slightly flawed) fantasy/crime epic deserves at least three Oscar nominations: Best Picture, Best Director and Best Supporting Actor. Please go see this film.
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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