In the US-government's special ops, Scott is a shooter, not a planner, doing the job without regard to quaint or obsolete convention. When a Harvard undergrad goes missing (the daughter of a US leader), it's Scott who applies the pressure, first to her boyfriend, then to a madam whose cathouse is the initial stop en route to a white slavery auction in Dubai. The abductors may not know the girl's identity, but once they figure it out, she's doomed. Deadly double crosses force Scott to become a planner. Through it all, earnest TV newscasters read the drivel they're handed. The investigation into a kidnapping of the daughter of a high-ranking US government official. As usual, Mr. Mamet brings us a very personal film, creating "true" cinema: a superb use of Hitchcok's McGuffin in entire film (we never know, officially, that she "is" the daughter we suspect she "is"). One of the few "authors" (Ford was an author too, but he rejected several times that word) working now for cinema. An extraordinary use of language, of poetry dialogs, and a new powerful reflection about American society. What we have with Mr. Mamet is that, after Ford and Kubrick deaths, probably we have one of the best working authors in cinema history, a good theater writer and a better poker player. Keep this way, Mr.Teach. Ebert and Roeper come through again with more proof that they are paid off handsomely. The DVD box says "two thumbs way up!"…. and this is possibly one of the worst movies I have ever seen. The acting is absolutely terrible. I mean just godawful. The script is terrible, the words that they make the actors say make you shake your head in wonderment. While watching the movie, my wife and I looked at each other at least 30 times with the same look on our face "what the heck was that all about??" They say the dumbest platitudes and pointless quotes…things normal people just don't say. Example: One man speaking to another, the one guy just isn't "getting it" so the guy says "you have to set yourself to receive!" umm whatever.<br/><br/>If you want to waste a rental fee on this, do so at your own risk, but if you spend 14 bucks to buy this you are a fool. Ultimately unsatisfying.
Hallmodre replied
363 weeks ago