I'm not often a fan of films that tell several different stories as this one does. I said in my preview that I wasn't sure if the stories in this film were connected only thematically or if they had more tangible ties. They are certainly related most strongly to each other by theme, but there are stronger connections, though they are generally fleeting until the very end when everything comes together. I think what happens is meant to be a twist ending, but it is very predictable. I won't say that I had it called for certain, but the possibility of the twist had occurred to me weeks ago while watching the film's trailer. This doesn't mean that the twist was not effective--it was, and it made more intriguing a film that I'd already found myself enjoying more than expected.
None of the film's three storylines are particularly exciting on their own. The one featuring Liam Neeson as a writer who has lost his edge is probably best, simply because Neeson is a consistently watchable screen presence. It's ultimately a case of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts as the stories, especially early in the film, are edited together with an energy that keeps things moving. There are a few moments in the middle where it does drag, but they never last for too long.
A second viewing, now knowing how the stories are related, would probably give me a better idea of how good a job the filmmakers did at constructing a complex narrative. Hopefully there are more frequent and deeper symbolic connections between the stories than is immediately obvious after a single viewing. I can't get much more specific than that without giving away the film's twist, so I won't try.
This isn't a great film. It could have really elevated itself to another level if each of its stories had been compelling on their own merits alone. Still, in the end they tied together in a satisfying way, which was enough to garner the film a rating of "good".
No comments:
Post a Comment