What starts off appearing to be a sheer battle of testosterone and wit between two air traffic controllers, Nick Falzone (John Cusack) and Russell Bell (Billy Bob Thornton), soon dissipates into a melodramatic mixed bag of sorts. From the beginning, I was impressed by the character that the film exudes, particularly by John Cusackhe continues to amaze me with his ability to fill his roles so well. Suspense is built and adrenaline is beckoned from the first moment in the air traffic control room, but the film quickly loses its momentum when Nick takes a wrong turn and breaks an unspoken code.
After that, the whole feeling of the film changes, and it's once abundant personality quickly fizzles away. And Nick's mistake isn't really what makes you dislike himafter all, we all make mistakes, and you can clearly see Nick is more or less a good guy, but his hypocrisy regarding the situation really rubbed me the wrong way. Then, the focus seems to shift to Thornton's character and what exactly he is about, but his motivations and reasons for ticking are kept vague, further crippling the film.
Angelina Jolie *does* make an appearance as Russell's wife, but just when you feel like you're getting to know her, she's put on the back-burner and left to cool. This is quite annoying as she is quite central to the film's story, just underdeveloped. It seems she was just abruptly taken out as if they decided midway through filming they didn't want to write anything more for her. So don't be fooled by her fourth-billing status as I was; she's only in about two-fifths of the movie.
Surprisingly, the film does seem to redeem itself a bit in the end, but you're still left with the sour after-taste in your mouth that keeps the film from feeling resolved.
VERDICT: An enjoyable film with the character that seems to be lacking from most movies made in the past decade. The twist could've been handled better and the momentum is lost somewhere in the middle, but still a highly watchable movie. Recommended to all John Cusack fans or anyone looking for a break in the stale mold of recent comedy-dramas.
6.5 out of 10.0
After that, the whole feeling of the film changes, and it's once abundant personality quickly fizzles away. And Nick's mistake isn't really what makes you dislike himafter all, we all make mistakes, and you can clearly see Nick is more or less a good guy, but his hypocrisy regarding the situation really rubbed me the wrong way. Then, the focus seems to shift to Thornton's character and what exactly he is about, but his motivations and reasons for ticking are kept vague, further crippling the film.
Angelina Jolie *does* make an appearance as Russell's wife, but just when you feel like you're getting to know her, she's put on the back-burner and left to cool. This is quite annoying as she is quite central to the film's story, just underdeveloped. It seems she was just abruptly taken out as if they decided midway through filming they didn't want to write anything more for her. So don't be fooled by her fourth-billing status as I was; she's only in about two-fifths of the movie.
Surprisingly, the film does seem to redeem itself a bit in the end, but you're still left with the sour after-taste in your mouth that keeps the film from feeling resolved.
VERDICT: An enjoyable film with the character that seems to be lacking from most movies made in the past decade. The twist could've been handled better and the momentum is lost somewhere in the middle, but still a highly watchable movie. Recommended to all John Cusack fans or anyone looking for a break in the stale mold of recent comedy-dramas.
6.5 out of 10.0