**HUGE Spoilers WITHIN**
It is a good movie, practically a great one. There's not a chance in the world I would state anything else. But its also highly improbable. The actors are all really terrific and I didn't think Ethan Hawke could be that good. Hoffman has been great (and will be again) so that was expected. I left the movie feeling the effects of it. I went into a Rite Aid to get a pack of Marlboros and wouldn't have been surprised if the clerk or another customer pulled a gun in the store. The violence in the movie is very realistic and makes you realize its part of the world we live in. I kept thinking that Shakespeare would have liked this movie and it feels like something he might have written. The tragedy of it is real, also.
BUT...
-Andy and Hank worked in their parents jewelry store, so why didn't they know about the gun? Why does no one exhibit any surprise that their Mother actually used it to kill Bobby? Andy questions why she was working there that Saturday, it seemed to me that someone would have asked a rhetorical question about the gun and its use.
-What does Charles hope to find out from the cops? The identity of the robber is known.
-Why did Andy admit to Charles that he was responsible for the robbery? Is he covering for Hank? If this is a death-bed confession then I guess I get it.
-Why are Andy and Hank surprised that their Mother is in the hospital? I know the UPS truck blocked Hank's view of who went into the store that morning but it seemed conceivable that it was her. Unless they were unaware Charles had his drivers license by that time..
-I also have to question Andy leaving his business card w/that old jeweler. It reeks of stupidity, but maybe that's the point. Its not like these were career criminals. Furthermore, why do Andy and then Charles go to the jeweler anyway? No jewels were taken! The robber died in the act!
-Bobby's widow would have been contacted once the law identified Bobby as the robber, and she would have given up Hank in a heartbeat. If she hadn't, then her and her brother would have been able to blackmail Hank with the fact that the cops know Bobby did it but did or did not have an accomplice.
I had a problem with Gina's departure. Asking Andy for money made me want to laugh. If you're skipping out on your spouse, you should at least have had pocket money for a cab. It also seemed to me that Gina might have suspected that Andy was somehow involved in the robbery. The way she's looking at him when she's doing the dishes as Andy is speaking with Charles in the backyard led me to believe that she thought that this was possible. I might have believed her reasons for leaving him if this was part of what she was hoping to avoid being party to.
I also wanted to mention another memorable performance by Michael Shannon. He was the best thing in "World Trade Center" and is quickly becoming an actor whose career may be worth following. He has only two scenes here but I was glad to see him again.
In summary, its worth seeing but if you look too deeply into it, it may not all make logical sense. But I did feel as though I had actually seen a movie when it was over, and that's something that does not happen as often as one would hope. 8/10.
It is a good movie, practically a great one. There's not a chance in the world I would state anything else. But its also highly improbable. The actors are all really terrific and I didn't think Ethan Hawke could be that good. Hoffman has been great (and will be again) so that was expected. I left the movie feeling the effects of it. I went into a Rite Aid to get a pack of Marlboros and wouldn't have been surprised if the clerk or another customer pulled a gun in the store. The violence in the movie is very realistic and makes you realize its part of the world we live in. I kept thinking that Shakespeare would have liked this movie and it feels like something he might have written. The tragedy of it is real, also.
BUT...
-Andy and Hank worked in their parents jewelry store, so why didn't they know about the gun? Why does no one exhibit any surprise that their Mother actually used it to kill Bobby? Andy questions why she was working there that Saturday, it seemed to me that someone would have asked a rhetorical question about the gun and its use.
-What does Charles hope to find out from the cops? The identity of the robber is known.
-Why did Andy admit to Charles that he was responsible for the robbery? Is he covering for Hank? If this is a death-bed confession then I guess I get it.
-Why are Andy and Hank surprised that their Mother is in the hospital? I know the UPS truck blocked Hank's view of who went into the store that morning but it seemed conceivable that it was her. Unless they were unaware Charles had his drivers license by that time..
-I also have to question Andy leaving his business card w/that old jeweler. It reeks of stupidity, but maybe that's the point. Its not like these were career criminals. Furthermore, why do Andy and then Charles go to the jeweler anyway? No jewels were taken! The robber died in the act!
-Bobby's widow would have been contacted once the law identified Bobby as the robber, and she would have given up Hank in a heartbeat. If she hadn't, then her and her brother would have been able to blackmail Hank with the fact that the cops know Bobby did it but did or did not have an accomplice.
I had a problem with Gina's departure. Asking Andy for money made me want to laugh. If you're skipping out on your spouse, you should at least have had pocket money for a cab. It also seemed to me that Gina might have suspected that Andy was somehow involved in the robbery. The way she's looking at him when she's doing the dishes as Andy is speaking with Charles in the backyard led me to believe that she thought that this was possible. I might have believed her reasons for leaving him if this was part of what she was hoping to avoid being party to.
I also wanted to mention another memorable performance by Michael Shannon. He was the best thing in "World Trade Center" and is quickly becoming an actor whose career may be worth following. He has only two scenes here but I was glad to see him again.
In summary, its worth seeing but if you look too deeply into it, it may not all make logical sense. But I did feel as though I had actually seen a movie when it was over, and that's something that does not happen as often as one would hope. 8/10.