Inarritu's considers "Amores Perros", this film, and "Babel" a trilogy on the themes of family and communication breakdown. "Amores Perros" is a fine film, brimming with energy and fresh ideas while "Babel" is an amazing piece of work, self-assured and highly engrossing. "21 Grams," the middle film is a big letdown, compared to its companions. Like the other two films, it plays with time and touches on multiple story lines. However, moving about in time only adds to the confusion of an already muddled story. Inarritu tries but cannot breathe much life into the weak and plodding script. The cast is good but the actors also fail to make their pathetic characters interesting.
