I wanted to adore this movie. Having just seen Sling Blade and been EXTREMELY impressed by Billy Bob Thornton, I was ready for A Simple Plan to match or even top it in quality.
Not a chance. The promise that the film built up was disrupted, over and over, by unbelievable scenes that kept me from getting lost in the story. Oh, I was squirming all right when Hank was sitting in the sheriff's office waiting for his wife to call, and when the four men all went out into the woods together, but what about the ending? Jacob's final plea to Hank wasn't quite feasible, and Hank's voice-over at the very end really ruined it for me. When I see a movie, I don't like to have the moral rehashed, compressed, and shoved in my face in the last 60 seconds.
Nonetheless, a few terrific performances made this film worth watching. Billy Bob Thornton, as I had hoped, made playing Jacob look easy. I doubt many other actors could pull that role off and make Jacob believable. Bridget Fonda was also amazingly good. Her character may not have seemed like anyone I know personally -- yes, the acting was a bit contrived -- but she was mesmerizing whenever she was on camera. Bill Paxton, on the other hand, was anything but impressive. I guess I was supposed to despise his character in the end, but I started in the first five minutes. Those pathetic faces he kept making never drew an ounce of sympathy from me.
I was going to give the film a 6, but then I thought about all the pure crap Hollywood is turning out these days and I decided to make it an 8. This is an extremely interesting film, and one I would recommend to anyone who can stomach off-kilter stories and slightly slow-paced action. It's worth the two hours it takes to see it... it just wouldn't be worth two more to see it again.
Not a chance. The promise that the film built up was disrupted, over and over, by unbelievable scenes that kept me from getting lost in the story. Oh, I was squirming all right when Hank was sitting in the sheriff's office waiting for his wife to call, and when the four men all went out into the woods together, but what about the ending? Jacob's final plea to Hank wasn't quite feasible, and Hank's voice-over at the very end really ruined it for me. When I see a movie, I don't like to have the moral rehashed, compressed, and shoved in my face in the last 60 seconds.
Nonetheless, a few terrific performances made this film worth watching. Billy Bob Thornton, as I had hoped, made playing Jacob look easy. I doubt many other actors could pull that role off and make Jacob believable. Bridget Fonda was also amazingly good. Her character may not have seemed like anyone I know personally -- yes, the acting was a bit contrived -- but she was mesmerizing whenever she was on camera. Bill Paxton, on the other hand, was anything but impressive. I guess I was supposed to despise his character in the end, but I started in the first five minutes. Those pathetic faces he kept making never drew an ounce of sympathy from me.
I was going to give the film a 6, but then I thought about all the pure crap Hollywood is turning out these days and I decided to make it an 8. This is an extremely interesting film, and one I would recommend to anyone who can stomach off-kilter stories and slightly slow-paced action. It's worth the two hours it takes to see it... it just wouldn't be worth two more to see it again.
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