Reviewed 17/10/01
Not a story of everyday cleaning products. And it's not, as the trailers would have you believe, a thriller.
This is really a character study, of a policeman who has become obsessed with solving a child murder. Jack Nicholson is the cop who gets dragged into the case in the week he is retiring. A suspect is caught, but our Jack does not believe that they have the right man.
The performances in this film are great, with a handful of top actors in cameo roles, including Helen Mirren, Mickey Rourke, Benicio Del Toro, and cult favourite Harry Dean Stanton. The central performance from Nicholson is excellent, and for once he does not just resort to his standard insanity. This is a more measured and restrained Nicholson, and that helps the credibility of the film.
Sean Penn proves that he is a proper director, although there may be one to many meaningful shots of birds flying overhead.
While this is not completely new territory, it is an interesting film, and well worth catching.
7/10
"I met the Wizard today."
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