Another film that I enjoyed on the whole but couldn't help thinking that it was a great film hidden inside a lesser one. It's not only Hollywood films which suffer from excessive lengths and this could have been tauter and more exciting with some judicious editing.
I found the car chase immensely frustrating. To start, the actual chase was very badly done with evidence of speeded up film and very close camera shots to hide how few cars and real situations were involved. But then we have one of the most spectacular crashes I have ever seen on film just in terms of the angles and details which you normally miss in high speed crashes. It really was an object lesson in how to film a crash. The crash also becomes central in that it is seen through different people's eyes as the film progresses rather in the manner of Pulp Fiction and the construction of the film around this event is handled very cleverly.
The film also suffered excessively from Shaky Cam, often used for no discernible point and to bad effect. There's nothing wrong with Shaky Cam per se – it was used to great effect in the Bourne films for instance but don't do it for the sake of it or because everyone else does it.
However, despite these faults, this is a well acted, well written and beautifully designed piece of cinema which is well worth your time seeing. I am always happy to see a film in which actions have consequences and this shows it very well indeed.
I found the car chase immensely frustrating. To start, the actual chase was very badly done with evidence of speeded up film and very close camera shots to hide how few cars and real situations were involved. But then we have one of the most spectacular crashes I have ever seen on film just in terms of the angles and details which you normally miss in high speed crashes. It really was an object lesson in how to film a crash. The crash also becomes central in that it is seen through different people's eyes as the film progresses rather in the manner of Pulp Fiction and the construction of the film around this event is handled very cleverly.
The film also suffered excessively from Shaky Cam, often used for no discernible point and to bad effect. There's nothing wrong with Shaky Cam per se – it was used to great effect in the Bourne films for instance but don't do it for the sake of it or because everyone else does it.
However, despite these faults, this is a well acted, well written and beautifully designed piece of cinema which is well worth your time seeing. I am always happy to see a film in which actions have consequences and this shows it very well indeed.