Reviews

(I wanted to give 9.5 because almost nothing is a 10, but fractions are not allowed ...)

Invited by a friend of a friend, I saw a preview and was prepared to politely praise the film even if I didn't like it. But I was surprised. This film is sincere, unpretentious, extremely well written and well acted. The story captured my interest from beginning to end. High marks go to all of the actors -- Karen Allen, Peter Riegert, Nick Thurston at an existential crossroads, Geoffrey Wigdor as his older brother who is already lost to the streets, and especially Stephen Lang (the baddie from Avatar), a formidable actor who digs his fingers into your heart. I saw grown men in our audience surreptitiously wiping their eyes!

I don't know much about film-making, but I know what holds me. Whatever the makers did, they did right. Good luck!

Redgrave, Pryce, Tutin and the younger actors all give virtually flawless performances in this somewhat original but unevenly written tale. While the story has some good lines, the suspense does not hold. The marvelous character actors haul the script along. Ms. Ayola as the buoyant, aspiring aviator is particularly compelling. There's a surprising, touching scene between Redgrave and Tutin when they discover that their collegiality has blossomed into love -- Vanessa sensually licking a spoon evokes a laugh. If you think, as I, that films are worth seeing for good performances, this one will not disappoint.

The previous comment by jhclues is a thoughtful one. While I accept that some viewers may not be informed enough of that historical period to pick up all the references in the film, I nevertheless think this is a very important film, which successfully dramatizes the "thought police" phenomenon as well as the power of art to transcend the ordinary. Also, as one who has studied that period in American theater history, I appreciated the story as wonderfully redemptive and satisfying. It's essential to dramatize artfully the crucial issues that confront us, especially in hard times when citizens are so caught up in basic survival, and vulnerable to official scare tactics that we neglect to maintain our fight for civil liberties and artistic freedom. The present is one of those times, and so was the Depression. Tim Robbins did his best here, within his craft, to make the important interesting. I was very pleased with this effort.