This is one of the few times I have been thoroughly enraged by the amount of time a film displaced in my life. At least the equally long and miserable Boogie Nights had style and snappy dialogue, plus good acting all around. This film had one good actor and a bunch of complete saps speaking lines that made me cringe and shudder with embarrassment.
The only, only reason I watched this film until the end is that I can't stand to miss a moment of Anthony Hopkins. He is one of my obsessions. I'd listen to him read the phone book for three hours. It would be more interesting. That said, he does a good job of breathing life into the lame lines he's given here.
I'm amazed that Brad Pitt, who managed to be quite brilliant in 12 Monkeys and tolerable in Se7en, has been so utterly miserable in almost everything else. I knew he wasn't the world's greatest actor, but when I saw this film I wondered if the director had gone to sleep. No other explanation could possibly account for Brad Pitt's agonizingly colorless performance. He was neither menacing nor angelic, and the whole concept of Death being an idiot savant just didn't do a whole lot for me. Besides, Brad's not so great at the "savant" part.
Much has been made of the "luscious" Claire Forlani, but to me she spent the whole film looking like she was about to sneeze.
Additionally, the film editor should be strung up and bludgeoned with a pitchfork. I've never seen such ridiculously drawn out, prolonged nothingness (with the possible exception of Eyes Wide Shut, which was at least titillating in places). The pacing isn't sleepy; it's comatose. You can drive a truck through the pauses between every badly-written line. Take out all that dead air and you'd have a two hour movie that would still be dull.
This is the first movie that I've ever given one star to, because most of the time I'm smart enough to stay away from such films after a quick gander at the trailer. However, I was lured in by the promise of hearing the delicious, rough velvety tones of a certain Welshman-turned-American, and was punished for my blind loyalty.
So what if this movie is about death? Deep subject, must be a great movie, right? Wrong. If you want to see a movie about death, there are dozens of them. Most of them aren't three hours long.
If you manage to be moved by this film and discover the meaning of life through it, more power to you. But honestly, if you want to understand the meaning of life, spend three hours volunteering at a homeless shelter or a retirement home. Don't watch this movie. That said, it's possible you may enjoy it. Some have, much to my incredulity, and perhaps they have more vision than I, not less. I'm not here to forbid you to see something good in this film; life is too short.
However, mine is now unfortunately three hours shorter, with absolutely nothing to show for it.
Bill Parrish (Anthony Hopkins) has it all: success, wealth and power. Days before his 65th birthday, he receives a visit from a mysterious stranger, J...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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