I checked this film out at the Jacksonville Film Festival last weekend, and I've been thinking about it ever since. On the one hand, I can say I'm proud to live in the city where such a brilliantly directed and photographed film was made; on the other, this is a film I don't believe I ever need to watch again.
The performances of all the principal players - particularly Travolta, Gandolfini, Dern, Leto and Hayek - are amazing, brilliant, utterly believable, etc. The set and costume design, and cinematography are by themselves worthy of at least Academy Award nominations. And the story (based on real events, although I'm sure much was fictionalized), is both riveting and repulsive.
Salma Hayek stands out particularly for her portrayal of the seductive, depraved and sadistic Martha Beck, one half of the brutal "Lonely Hearts" killers. She should come with her own tag line, "If looks could kill..." Hayek's interpretation of this character is the polar opposite of Charlize Theron's in "Monster," but no less effective. I'm thinking that if Ms. Theron's work in that film deserved an Oscar, then Ms. Hayek deserves no less for the amazing way she makes her "beautiful butcher" completely believable.
Without spoiling the plot, let me just provide this advisory. If brutal, bloody murders, suicides, explicit (non-erotic) sexuality, and the constant dropping of the "F-bomb" - not in a sexual way - are not your thing, then you may want to skip this film. It's not a date movie or a chick flick by any means, despite the romantic come-on in the title. The film is almost completely devoid of humor; humor would seem inappropriate in this context.
Although justice is apparently served - this is revealed at the very beginning of the film - no one will walk away from this film feeling very uplifted by what they will have just seen.
The performances of all the principal players - particularly Travolta, Gandolfini, Dern, Leto and Hayek - are amazing, brilliant, utterly believable, etc. The set and costume design, and cinematography are by themselves worthy of at least Academy Award nominations. And the story (based on real events, although I'm sure much was fictionalized), is both riveting and repulsive.
Salma Hayek stands out particularly for her portrayal of the seductive, depraved and sadistic Martha Beck, one half of the brutal "Lonely Hearts" killers. She should come with her own tag line, "If looks could kill..." Hayek's interpretation of this character is the polar opposite of Charlize Theron's in "Monster," but no less effective. I'm thinking that if Ms. Theron's work in that film deserved an Oscar, then Ms. Hayek deserves no less for the amazing way she makes her "beautiful butcher" completely believable.
Without spoiling the plot, let me just provide this advisory. If brutal, bloody murders, suicides, explicit (non-erotic) sexuality, and the constant dropping of the "F-bomb" - not in a sexual way - are not your thing, then you may want to skip this film. It's not a date movie or a chick flick by any means, despite the romantic come-on in the title. The film is almost completely devoid of humor; humor would seem inappropriate in this context.
Although justice is apparently served - this is revealed at the very beginning of the film - no one will walk away from this film feeling very uplifted by what they will have just seen.