An overlong, meandering tale of guilt and sacrifice.
I think the story itself could have been told with more power via a linear,
compact story-line, but this unusual technique does manage to distract from
some of the larger plot-holes. Will Smith's emotional distance also moves us
away from sentimentality - one scene near the beginning works well to confuse
us as to his true character. The air of mystery is intriguing, but I doubt it
work on a second viewing. Rosario Dawson was great, providing all the heart, while Barry Pepper and Woody Harrelson are underused.
In the end, it all feels a bit empty - it's hard to
understand our odd, emotionless protagonist, much less his motivations for what
he does. The Christological theme was interesting, but given where the film
ends up, unnecessary and incorrect. The whole film is rather pretentious, in retrospect.
2.5/5 stars
Hannah Long
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