positive

I'm glad there are a few voices of dissent within all of the gushing

hype listed here. Do the fans of this movie rate "Citizen Kane" as

the 2nd best film of all time? Then maybe listen to the Beatles and

Elvis Presley as the greatest music of all time? Is America under

some kind of cultural mass-hypnosis?

Grossly overrated on all counts.

This is just another stupid, cynical Hollywood con job. Remember

how Hollywood talked about changing their ways after 9/11? That

lasted a record week or two and then it was back to business.

But guess what...this movie would be terrible even if it came out

before 9/11. If thousands of people dying is a mere plot point,

then you have a movie that has completely slipped through the

fingers of its creators.

Idiotic filmmakers and actors have proven time and time again that

they don't have the talent or the insight to handle subject matter at

this level of seriousness. This movie is no different. This movie is

so lame and stupid that it might as well have had Steven Seagal

as the lead.

Please Mr. Freeman, I know you like to work, but as a role model

for future actors I would think you might take a smaller paycheck

for a film that is actually worth making.

What I saw of this movie was so disgustingly bad that I had to take the time to comment on it. I'd expect this kind of contempt for art and life from a Grade C horror or action flick, but this thing was on regular television and loaded with supposedly intelligent actors such as Eric Stoltz and James Spader. Obviously this was back when they desperately needed a paycheck although I don't know what Mitchum's excuse is. Maybe back then they thought this kind of thing was gritty realism, an unflinching look at crime, or some other such nonsense. The sad thing is that this movie is just a small fraction of unnecessary and despicable violence that is created every day in Hollywood. Why this was replayed on TV recently, I'll never know. If you ever doubt that Hollywood is a bunch of hypocritical hacks, take a look at this the next time it's on.

Quite the experience.

This movie drips skill and serenity from its director and cast.

Though it owes much to a long list of European directors, it stands apart from today's other independents by eschewing the ironic, self-involved themes that have become modern film cliches. This film is reaching for the sublime. Whether it reaches that level or not is subjective, of course. But one cannot deny the unique spell that this movie casts over its audience.

I won't get into the plot. If you're looking for a clear, linear plot then I don't recommend this movie. I do recommend this movie for those in search of lush imagery, plaintive themes and characters, and hypnotic sound and pacing.

Hopefully this will be re-released with English subtitles so that it can reach an increasingly malnourished United States audience.

This film contains mild sexual themes and no violence.

The other reviewers denounce this movie because of its negative portrayal of role playing. There is a number of scenes that establish these kids as troubled and needing to escape. This was just a modern allegory of what can happen when something that makes a troubled person happy is taken too far by that person. Everything that happens to Tom Hanks can be read as a metaphor for drug addiction. Having said that, it is a TV-movie. And that means corny dialogue and weak acting, and plenty of it. Unless you go into this movie with the knowledge that it is a 1982 TV-movie and all that that entails, you will be driven insane by the level of cheesiness. But if taken for what is it, the movie becomes among the best TV movies ever, original and entertaining, and with a rather startling ending that is not typical of television. Tom Hanks is as likeable as ever, even without the chance to be comedic. Chris Makepeace struggles a bit with this flamboyant character, he is too used to being shy, I guess. He and Tom probably should have switched parts, that would have made this very flawed movie a bit better.