Seven Pounds

This film blew me away. The acting was superb, the story was heart wrenching and I truly believed in the characters. Some of you may say that this film is just another in a list of movies such as Pay It Forward.

This is a fallacy. This film here grabbed me from the start and will stay with me for weeks. It's a very powerful film and Will Smith and the rest of the cast deserve our applause and respect for playing their roles so well. Credit to the scriptwriters and director for also allowing this film to exist, it was amazing.

A definite must see film and one worthy of nomination for awards.

9/10

Will Smith gives one of the best performances of his career in this film, about a tax collector crippled with some guilt and inner demons using his job to be judge, jury and executioner over people. The less said about the plot the better, as any more may spoil the movie.

Will Smith demonstrates the scope of his acting abilities in this film, like he done years previous in "The Pursuit of Happiness". He goes from ranting and raving abuse at a blind man one moment, to helping an old vulnerable lady who has been neglected in a nursing home the next. He is a complex character, and even more complex to us the viewer is the source of his guilt and inner rage, manifesting in how he punishes himself daily. Smith is truly captivating and powerful in this performance .

You spend most of this two-hour film wondering "what's the story regarding the lead character?"

Will Smith, as a low-key "Ben Thomas" will keep you guessing. The last 20-25 minutes is when you find out, and it's a shocker....but you knew something dramatic was going to be revealed. Until then, Smith, plays it mysterious, almost stalking people. You know he has a good reason for doing it, but it's never really explained, once again, to keep us guessing until the end.

All of it, including a on again/off again but touching romance with Rosario Dawkins ("Emily Posa") might make some viewers frustrated or wanting to quit this film.....but don't because the final long segment puts all the pieces of this puzzle together.

This is a two-hour film and not the typical action-packed macho Will Smith film. In fact, the most shocking aspect might be seeing the drawn, sad face of Smith throughout this story. It almost doesn't even look like him in a number of shots. He looks like he's lost weight and is sick. Smith does a great job portraying a man carrying around a lot of sadness.

Like a good movie will often do, this film will leave you thinking long after the ending credits.

The IRS tax collector Ben Thomas (Will Smith) seeks out Emily Posa (Rosario Dawson) and resolves her situation with the IRS. Emily has a serious heart problem and is waiting for a donor, but her blood is very rare and her odds are low. Meanwhile Ben seeks out other people to help them in a journey for redemption for what he did in the past. However Emily and Ben unexpectedly fall in love with each other, but Ben does not have the intention of changing his plans.

"Seven Pounds" is a predictable drama with a fragmented non-chronological screenplay about a man seeking redemption for what he did in the past that has shattered his world. The story is simple but the screenplay hides the secret about Ben until the very end. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Sete Vidas" ("Seven Lives")

I don't give out 10 stars easily unless it's a film that can keep me guessing. A film that will make me want to see it through to the end, not because I paid hard earned cash, but because I truly care about the characters and where they're going to end up. If you like me, then you're going to want to see this one.

Will Smith has always been an interesting actor for me. I watch everything he does because I'm a huge fan. I must admit that the idea of him playing another heartbroken, distanced from the world individual (Hancock, I am Legend) made me a little annoyed, but this one was a home run. The character Ben Thomas is such a mystery that you want to know what he plans to do; for others, for himself, etc. As the story unfolds, so does his intentions and not in a really simplistic way. He's a complex person, but not so much that he aggravates me. He's intriguing.

The connection between Will Smith and Rosario Dawson is so well done and so believable. This is how it's supposed to be done. There's a chemistry in their acting that I haven't seen in about 10 years or so. I'm not exaggerating. I haven't seen too many films where the chemistry is genuine; kudos to the both of them.

It is very touching and sad, yet heartwarming. Geez, did I say that? I walked away from this one feeling good. That's what it is in the end. A feel good movie.