This 2007 film came on cable. I was a little skeptical about this take on post 9-11 torture antics. Would it be too preachy? Would I get tired of Reese? Would it dwell on Washington "fat cats" rather than look at the big picture? As it turns out, it takes a fairly even look at things, even if Maryl Streep starts to come off as an icy dealmaker with no soul, and I'm not sure if Jake Gyllenhaal represents a real CIA agent. This has good drama and a fairly low dose of Reese (I don't hate her, I just don't like her notion to be overly serious). I don't know if the Middle Eastern subplot about the daughter really matters that much in the end, but I like how everything comes together.
Some will probably say that this is a Hollywood attack on policy, and it's more than a little biased. Still, it works very well as a story, and as an interesting film, and it makes a solid point on how torture doesn't always work. I feel like I need Danno's take on this before commenting further. I'm not sure if I can totally buy what they're selling, but I like the package.
Film reviews, criticism, discussions, rants, raves, and random pictures of Philip Seymour Hoffman.
