jmccrmck-65172

I was very much looking forward to this movie and I was not disappointed I was ready to give it seven stars after only watching the first 40 minutes and in my opinion the trailer , as is often the case, would not give one a fair idea of what the true nature of it is. Sure there's plenty of comedy, but it is really a character study of the difficulties encountered in human relationships and it does that with genuine portrayals of those relationships , couples and parent / offspring, the out in the open and the repressed. The acting and story is gripping and I think you will find yourself totally immersed in them and as unlikely as some of the events may seem, the film never struggles in getting them across, comedy , yes but it deals much more with emotions and there are so many satisfying scenes where that is the primary subject.

Seven point nine stars, script acting throughout, not one person outshines the other and equal weight is given to all of them IE well written, I loved it.

As with any film of this nature you have to suspend disbelief and watch what happens.

And what happens is a story taken from a well written novel made into a movie with some of the finest talent in the business. The screenplay and adaptation of the novel, did not read it, BUT the best movies always start out with a story already written for the film maker and the execution from that story IMO was nothing short of brilliant . Of course it was two hours long , seems to be the minimum these days and in that two hours there was not one moment of boredom and the characters and the dialogue spring to life.

Nerd geek intelligence analyst seeks to avenge the random killing of his wife seemingly without the skills or wherewith all to do that and yet he finds a way against all the odds . The plot and sequence of events is intricate and still easy to follow. A movie about some one in intelligence field that was made with great intelligence. Best , entertaining movie I have seen in a while it will keep you amused and engaged.

It is too bad that the film could not merit a higher rating than the six stars I give it. The current rating of six point eight stars is, I think , exactly what it deserves. The locations and cinematographic ( a strained word if ever I encountered one) composition were really good and carried the movie along nicely. The characters in every case are well developed and used sparingly, just the right level of their involvement in the screenplay. Naomi Watts never falters in her delivery, really superp. With all of that said so much of the movie lacks the impact it might have had had it been 1.) shorter than its two hour run time , it needed a better editing and 2.) the story is at its root less about the dog and more about emotions of grief and loss. The dog is played up too much but it's what some will come to see the movie for. The dog is a metaphor for something different. I will let you see the film and decide for yourself. However there is a scene in the last twenty minutes that me find the film more than worthwhile.

OK I read the book and this movie is only very loosely based on it. But that is never a knock on a film for me ; they are two different things. Is it true to the book ? , well maybe not. I can tell you this, despite its shortcomings this film gave me a much better understanding and appreciation of the point of the book , movies can do that sometimes and this one, for me at least, did that.