If you are a film student, along with Citizen Kane and other required viewing, this is a movie that you should see. It is a primary example of what happens when 90% of everything goes well, stellar in fact, but wrong steps with marketing sink the project. If you were expecting a fighting movie, I can understand you being very disappointed. This is not a bad movie, far from it, but it is not a "fighting" movie as the posters and teasers had us to believe. If you saw it in a theater, you'll be more angry, as not only did you not get the movie you were expecting, you can't get your money back.
In the one film class that I took (wish I could go to film school like some of you) we learned that there are at least 10 or so elements that classify a movie as being "Film Noir". I think that fight movies are very similar. None of the "elements" of fighting movies are in this film. There are only three fights, they were inconsistent as to the kind of fighting, (the second fight looks more like wrestling than fighting). The overall pacing is a little off, in that scenes that move fast move too fast, while others had lyrical timing. (i.e. when Harvey finds Sean sleeping on the park bench). Unlike another poster wrote, the characters don't mumble, however, Terry's accent is never the same from scene to scene.
That aside, here is what did work for me: (1) The acting. Every actor on the screen did a wonderful job; they were honest, intuitive, and believable. (2) The cinematography was exceptional. For example, at 1.07.9 when Harvey (Terrence Howard) is coming through a door that has the shadows of trees in the background, the over head (crane?) shots of the second fight, to name a few.
I don't want to ramble, but there are many other things about this movie that really make it a 7 on my rating. Now that you are aware that this is not a fight movie, I encourage you to watch it again with a different perspective. As to being a story teller, I do think that Dito is among the very best.
IMO Ripley
In the one film class that I took (wish I could go to film school like some of you) we learned that there are at least 10 or so elements that classify a movie as being "Film Noir". I think that fight movies are very similar. None of the "elements" of fighting movies are in this film. There are only three fights, they were inconsistent as to the kind of fighting, (the second fight looks more like wrestling than fighting). The overall pacing is a little off, in that scenes that move fast move too fast, while others had lyrical timing. (i.e. when Harvey finds Sean sleeping on the park bench). Unlike another poster wrote, the characters don't mumble, however, Terry's accent is never the same from scene to scene.
That aside, here is what did work for me: (1) The acting. Every actor on the screen did a wonderful job; they were honest, intuitive, and believable. (2) The cinematography was exceptional. For example, at 1.07.9 when Harvey (Terrence Howard) is coming through a door that has the shadows of trees in the background, the over head (crane?) shots of the second fight, to name a few.
I don't want to ramble, but there are many other things about this movie that really make it a 7 on my rating. Now that you are aware that this is not a fight movie, I encourage you to watch it again with a different perspective. As to being a story teller, I do think that Dito is among the very best.
IMO Ripley