"You work for the American dream, you don't steal it" Bill Paxton says in the film, and that line rings true until the very end. The plot is simple. Three men find 4.4 million dollars, and decide to keep it. From than on, they remain tied to each other in a crime, yet they see it as "finding lost treasure". As soon as Jacob and Hank kill Stevenson, they are in even deeper.
We (the audience) is asked to accept the fact that these decent people are breaking the law, and sympathize with them. It leads us through plot twists that expand on the film's haunting qualities.
Sam Raimi's direction is incredible, as is Scott Smith's script. I have read the novel, and some things were changed. However, the changes were necessary as some parts of the novel weren't cinematic. The cinematography and score also lend themselves very well.
The performances are all incredible. Billy Bob Thorton should have won the oscar for his thoughtful turn as Jacob, the dumber brother who realizes first that they've opened a Pandora's Box. " I wish someone else found that money". When he said that, it's not just the loss of the money that makes him say that, it's the loss of his soul. He is the first to realize that this will end in tragedy. Bridget Fonda is remarkable in her Lady Macbeth-type role. She's chilling and convincing as the wife who at firsts thinks the money should be burned, than changes her mind. Bill Paxton plays the 'everyman' who is the smarter of the three men who find the money. He is incredible, and holds this film together.
What makes this movie work is that it forces us to ask ourselves questions about our morality. Not everyone will like the ending. I think it is perfect.
Number 2 on my top ten of 1998
We (the audience) is asked to accept the fact that these decent people are breaking the law, and sympathize with them. It leads us through plot twists that expand on the film's haunting qualities.
Sam Raimi's direction is incredible, as is Scott Smith's script. I have read the novel, and some things were changed. However, the changes were necessary as some parts of the novel weren't cinematic. The cinematography and score also lend themselves very well.
The performances are all incredible. Billy Bob Thorton should have won the oscar for his thoughtful turn as Jacob, the dumber brother who realizes first that they've opened a Pandora's Box. " I wish someone else found that money". When he said that, it's not just the loss of the money that makes him say that, it's the loss of his soul. He is the first to realize that this will end in tragedy. Bridget Fonda is remarkable in her Lady Macbeth-type role. She's chilling and convincing as the wife who at firsts thinks the money should be burned, than changes her mind. Bill Paxton plays the 'everyman' who is the smarter of the three men who find the money. He is incredible, and holds this film together.
What makes this movie work is that it forces us to ask ourselves questions about our morality. Not everyone will like the ending. I think it is perfect.
Number 2 on my top ten of 1998