Reviews

This is not a great film, but a good one. The near uniqueness of the ending alone qualifies it as such - murderers (even crazy ones) are almost always caught. Katie Holmes is not, by the movie's end.

Her performance is really quite good. This is a role I have never seen her in, and didn't expect. Yet she is quite believable.

Other comments posted about the greater accuracy of the college milieu are right on point. Katie's performance in the McKinsey interview was spot on. One especially witty comment, when Katie responds to her friend's politically correct suggestion that they join a protest against globalization ("there's as much chance of stopping that as stopping" the sun in its tracks,) deserves special mention.

Yes, the film is slow-paced, but it should be, given the unusual nature of the events described. The one moment of action, when Katie sends Bratt to a watery grave, is surprising, as one expects Bratt to solve the mystery and collar Katie, given his Law and Order background.

The series has progressed to the point that the Carville-Matalin lobby firm has become the target of a Federal investigation. This story line brings immediate relevance to every show.

D. C. has long been the home of investigations that also have a political component. Art and reality meld perfectly here.

The form of the dialogue underlines the reality. The professional actors (and some real-world actors) speak as real people do every day ... stumbles, searching for the right word, umm, uh ....

I don't know about the numbers of viewers necessary to be successful on cable, but HBO has an aesthetic and stylistic winner here. I agree that following Beltway events is a big plus for viewers, but I would bet that the realistic dialogue patterns alone produce a breakthrough.