Banderas excels in this period grifter piece about a man's love for a woman who believes herself unlovable. Jolie pulls her weight, too, giving glimpses of just enough vulnerability to temper the extreme mean streak her character exhibits, not least when she attempts to kill her husband not once, but twice. Thomas Jane as antagonist keeps up the high-calibre acting. The script twists and turns without ever letting down its theme, the redeeming power of love. What stops Original Sin from being great is the camera-work and editing. In one scene in a brothel the 360- degree pan distorts the edges of the frame and induces nausea. Jump cuts are over-used, and seem out of place in terms of the feel and period setting of the film. Less obtrusive craftsmanship would allow the audience to give the story the full attention it deserves.
Review of Original Sin
