Rent this movie, if for nothing else, to see Philip Seymour Hoffman shine. In his role as drag-queen Rusty Zimmerman, Hoffman is flawless. In the three movies I have seen with Hoffman in them, "The Talented Mr. Ripley", "Magnolia", and "Flawless", Hoffman has consistently lost himself in the character. He is able to do this to the point of the viewer not being able to recognize the actor - the greatest compliment an actor can receive. De Niro is De Niro, delivering a spot-on performance of a man struggling with change due to a stroke. The rest of the cast delivers an entertaining array of characters, which just adds to my disappointment with the film. Because, as good as the acting was, the directing - and to some extent the writing - was a let-down. Much of the violence seemed misplaced in what was a touching, humorous story. A few times I found myself pulled away from the story and wondering why Schumacher felt he needed to add someone being shot in the head. The ending was simply ridiculous - meant more for a Sylvester Stallone I-can't-believe-this thriller than for the emotionally-gripping story that Flawless should have been. This is a good movie. However, had the direction been more true to the main story, it could have been a great movie. And had it not been for superb acting, this could easily have been a bad movie. Keeping my eyes and ears open for the next "Fifth Element", I'm M.P. Silbernagel.
