This is How Movies Should Be Made

Excellent, Without a doubt!!

How wonderful it is to see this fine actress carry a film and carry it so beautifully.

It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.

The plot is simple, wealthy executive is kidnapped by disgruntled employee. What isn't simple is Wayne (Robert Redford) and Eileen's (Helen Mirren) marriage and that of the kidnapper Arnold (William Dafoe). What unfolds during the kidnapping, request and delivery of the ransom is an unfolding of Wayne and Arnold's lives. Both men's families do not not know them other than as providers. Is it too late, will they have a second chance? If Redford or Mirren is one of your favorites, the film is worth the watch. Good flick on a Saturday afternoon, when you've got the house to yourself so you can focus on the dialogue.

I was rather entertained for the majority of the movie. I hadn't really been criticizing it and was just enjoying what I though was a "decent" movie. THEN, when the kidnapper and the hostage were in the woods the film took a stupid sudden twist that completely turned me off. Redford's hostage character had strangled the kidnapper and made him unconscious. He could have ran away, finished the job and killed him, smashed him with something, anything! Instead he gets up and goes over to put his face against the tree, facing with his back away from the kidnapper. Oh and of course the kidnapper regains consciousness and finds the gun in the mud puddle. I was so "disappointed" with the movie at that point that I just abruptly turned it off! I understand that the plot had to go in that direction to accommodate the ending, but what disappointed me was that Redford's character didn't even try to get away and even turned his back on Defoe's character. It was just plain stupid and inexcusable. So bad to me that it even ruined what I had actually watched of the movie. That was the only part of the movie that I didn't like. What I watched up until that part wasn't too bad.

OK, that's disappointing as a thriller, and as anything else as well!First things first : although he was given so little screen time but Alessandro Nivola is unbearable. Robert Redford was charismatic and effective enough (sometimes that's not enough when it comes to him !). The plot is catchy but not the script (deliberately it doesn't want to utilize any thrilling moments out of the main situation). The music didn't play anything special. And yes, the end is SO SAD ! On a deep level, it is not the typical Hollywood thriller. It is for audience cherishes the drama more than the thrill (or for the thrill's audience to cherish other things). It just uses its kidnapping case to tell you a story about love between a man and a woman; showing humans not super creatures, yet to tell you the truth it couldn't be as interesting or enjoyable as any of the pure thrillers ! It is pretty damn usual at places to an extent seduces you to sleep! The cast did it fine, but not that fine. While the sad ending is something to declare the story's message (clear it up before it's so late), still Alessandro Nivola is unbearable ! Interesting idea, not movie.

Okay, I watched this mainly because I thought the music was gonna be great. it wasn't. Neither was the movie. This was a story-less movie. In essence, nothing happens. Nothing good. If this was supposed to be a character driven movie, then where is the depth in the characters? we know virtually nothing about Hayes, Arnold and Mirren. Hayes was successful, cheats and still loves his wife. Arnold is frustrated, fired. mirren , she's the wife. But there's virtually no background. The kids are dissed, their problems are mentioned in passing.This just didn't get me. No real story, no twists, no intense character moments, no silent underacting, nothing.If this was been done with 2nd rate actors, like mark Harmon or worse. this would be straight to DVD. Only because the actors are great, this is passable. But the actors are diminished by this crap story.This fails on what supposed to be its strength, intense character acting, because the script is so boilerplate.Watch only if have to have seen everything by Willem, Redford or mirren.