ViewGuide

Created Jun 10, 2010 02:41AM PST • Edited Feb 05, 2013 10:12PM PST

1. Quality

2. Summary

   OK 2.5

   Psychological thrillers aren’t exactly a favorite genre of mine, and this well turned out De Niro vehicle proves why. The feints towards violence proved tiring after a while, the story proved tortured, and the ending just cruel. No wonder the director and writer seem to have been banished back to TV Land since Hide and Seek failed to kill at the box office. Guess they won’t be answering the call to “come out, come out, wherever you are” anytime soon.

   On the plus side, the movie features four actresses who are always worth watching: Amy Irving, Famke Janssen, the lovely Elizabeth Shue, and the amazingly precocious Dakota Fanning. You go girls.

4. Acting

   Very Good 3.5

   Dakota Fanning was great while Robert De Niro was merely very good, meaning the immortal De Niro was not the best actor in a movie. Wow. Stop the presses.

5. Male Stars Very Good 3.5

6. Female Stars Great 4.0

7. Female Costars Very Good 3.5

   Elizabeth Shue and Famke Janssen should work more. Seriously.

8. Male Costars Good 3.0

10. Film

    Barely OK 2.0

11. Direction Barely OK 2.0

12. Play Barely OK 2.0

13. Music Barely OK 2.0

14. Visuals Good 3.0
15. Content

16. Edge

    Sordid 2.6

17. Sex Titillating 1.6

18. Violence Savage 3.6

19. Rudeness Profane 2.6

21. Reality

    Glib 2.0

    Ridiculous given that it doesn’t cop to any loss of reality.

22. Circumstantial Surreal 3.0

23. Biological Surreal 2.1

24. Physical Natural 1.0