REVIEW:
Now this is a great movie. Thrilling and creative in all the right ways. A movie about a man who may or may not have lived a completely different life in the past, and now has to deal with gangsters showing up who think he’s someone he’s not. It sounds like it’s got the veins of a comedy, but this movie is anything but. It’s scary and haunting, and does it all through the menace of its characters. The violence is just enough to make this one more of a suspenseful drama than an action movie, and it really works. Especially in the way it goes for the hard, gruesome R rating. And as far as acting, this one features an all star cast with everyone delivering. From Vigo Mortensen to Maria Bello to Ed Harris to William Hurt (who was Oscar nominated for being in just one scene of this movie! That’s got to be a record and it definitely gives you a sense of who tight and powerful this one is.
Another part of the fun here is that the movie keeps you guessing about whether or not Tom Stall (Mortensen,) really is this other person or not. It’s a fun little game they are playing with the audience, and unlike other movies that think they are clever by leaving things ambiguous, this one does answer the question, leaving the viewer completely satisfied. With everything this movie has going on, including a side plot about the son at school being bullied, the movie still comes in at just one hour and thirty six minutes. And that shorter running time helps make the movie feel that much more compact and tight. It makes you how that they aren’t wasting time or dragging things out. Not every moment works, such as the movies brief attempt at humor, but for the most part, this one is pretty great!