I have seen this movie 3 times in as many years and while it is by no means a perfect movie it keeps drawing me back, so I guess that is some recommendation.
I think the thing that keeps me revisiting this movie is that I can't really believe the horribleness of the character played by Juliet Binoche. I keep thinking I must have missed something that justifies her actions, or that she must have some sort of redeeming feature. But no, every time I watch it I am disappointed, she is still the same horrible person. Here is a woman who will blackmail a man who truly loves her. Oh, but what about a mother's unconditional love for her son you say? What a load of rubbish. Perhaps this whole movie is about the concept of unconditional love, or in particular, a mother's love, which if the two examples given in this movie are anything to go by is a love that defies all common sense and morality. It seems that any action, no matter how despicable, is OK as long as you do it for your children. Apparently it makes you a great mother.
As many have noted Jude Law does a fantastic job as Will, although the part given him does make him appear somewhat limp. Juliet Binoche is adequate in her role and while she can be beautiful she is portrayed in this role as a somewhat dowdy woman, of no great physical beauty and with an unattractive personality. Sure, she has had a rough life, we get that, but it is difficult to see why Will falls for her at all, let alone so completely and so quickly. Her "personality", such that it is, vacillates between cool to Will and ridiculously over the top cloying with her son - do mothers and sons really act like that between themselves? Robin Wright Penn plays Will's girlfriend, yet another woman playing the "unconditional love of a mother" card. She plays her part well enough but as others have noted hers is not a character that generates much sympathy from the audience. The movie seems to imply that Will and Liv have only just started having problems with their relationship but it is almost impossible to believe that given the circumstances they would surely have split up years ago. Martin Freeman, as usual plays the only part he knows, that of Martin Freeman, with all the speech patterns and mannerisms for which we know and love him. It's as if he strolled onto the set during a break from shooting "The Office". Ray Winstone plays Ray Winstone in an impossible to believe role of the copper with a heart of gold who has nothing better to do than spend his whole life concerned about a single 15 year old boy and hanging around on scooters waiting for this boy to appear. Where can I get a job like this? His inclusion in the film is entirely pointless. The lad that plays the young thief is OK, but his is a strange role. On the one hand he is the central character who creates the raisin d'etre for the entire movie but on the other, as a person, his character is not really important.
Now that I have written this I think that what keeps me coming back to this movie is the empathy I have with the character of Will. It is hard not to feel sorry for Will. He is not a perfect person but he seems to me to be far too nice a person for the people he is exposed to, and he is treated like dirt for his troubles. I suppose it is the injustice of the whole thing I find compelling and which draws me to it and through it.
To summarise...you should definitely watch this movie. In spite of all the criticisms I have raised it is thought provoking and strangely compelling, and the performance by Jude Law deserves to be seen.
I think the thing that keeps me revisiting this movie is that I can't really believe the horribleness of the character played by Juliet Binoche. I keep thinking I must have missed something that justifies her actions, or that she must have some sort of redeeming feature. But no, every time I watch it I am disappointed, she is still the same horrible person. Here is a woman who will blackmail a man who truly loves her. Oh, but what about a mother's unconditional love for her son you say? What a load of rubbish. Perhaps this whole movie is about the concept of unconditional love, or in particular, a mother's love, which if the two examples given in this movie are anything to go by is a love that defies all common sense and morality. It seems that any action, no matter how despicable, is OK as long as you do it for your children. Apparently it makes you a great mother.
As many have noted Jude Law does a fantastic job as Will, although the part given him does make him appear somewhat limp. Juliet Binoche is adequate in her role and while she can be beautiful she is portrayed in this role as a somewhat dowdy woman, of no great physical beauty and with an unattractive personality. Sure, she has had a rough life, we get that, but it is difficult to see why Will falls for her at all, let alone so completely and so quickly. Her "personality", such that it is, vacillates between cool to Will and ridiculously over the top cloying with her son - do mothers and sons really act like that between themselves? Robin Wright Penn plays Will's girlfriend, yet another woman playing the "unconditional love of a mother" card. She plays her part well enough but as others have noted hers is not a character that generates much sympathy from the audience. The movie seems to imply that Will and Liv have only just started having problems with their relationship but it is almost impossible to believe that given the circumstances they would surely have split up years ago. Martin Freeman, as usual plays the only part he knows, that of Martin Freeman, with all the speech patterns and mannerisms for which we know and love him. It's as if he strolled onto the set during a break from shooting "The Office". Ray Winstone plays Ray Winstone in an impossible to believe role of the copper with a heart of gold who has nothing better to do than spend his whole life concerned about a single 15 year old boy and hanging around on scooters waiting for this boy to appear. Where can I get a job like this? His inclusion in the film is entirely pointless. The lad that plays the young thief is OK, but his is a strange role. On the one hand he is the central character who creates the raisin d'etre for the entire movie but on the other, as a person, his character is not really important.
Now that I have written this I think that what keeps me coming back to this movie is the empathy I have with the character of Will. It is hard not to feel sorry for Will. He is not a perfect person but he seems to me to be far too nice a person for the people he is exposed to, and he is treated like dirt for his troubles. I suppose it is the injustice of the whole thing I find compelling and which draws me to it and through it.
To summarise...you should definitely watch this movie. In spite of all the criticisms I have raised it is thought provoking and strangely compelling, and the performance by Jude Law deserves to be seen.