This is, without a doubt, one of my favorite films of all time. From the story, to the acting, to the use of the camera, I was impressed with every aspect of this film. I love a film that makes me think; a film that, from the moment it begins, begs the audience to question every piece of the story. My favorite author, Paul Auster, once said, and I’m paraphrasing, that every word in a piece of literature is important and that if it weren't, the writer wouldn’t have wasted the time to include it. This film perfectly encapsulates that idea. From the start of the film, the audience is forced to focus on and analyze each and every aspect of the film; they must question the dialogue and every action of each of the actors (nothing is done by accident). Denzel Washington’s performance as Doug Carlin is phenomenal. Everything about the character is scripted well: his arrogance, his intellect, his need to attack everything with such gusto and his ability to deliver when necessary is executed well by Washington. A script can be fantastic and the film still fail based on the acting; this is not the case with Washington in this film. His performance was captivating and, even though the film, in its entirety, is wonderful, was the main reason I enjoyed this film so much. Along with Washington, the list of talented actors runs deep in this film. Val Kilmer, Adam Goldberg, Jim Caviezel and Erika Alexander were just some of the incredible names on that list. The story was like nothing I had ever seen before. Bill Marsilii and Terry Rossio worked well together in creating an original story, one unlike anything Hollywood has ever produced. With everything that took place over the course of the film, to be able to successfully keep everything in order and in a way that the audience can understand is mindblowing. The back and forth between past and present could have been confusing, but these two writers, along with director Tony Scott, made the film run so fluidly that it was nearly impossible to get lost along the way. Similar to the story, the dialogue is both touching and engaging. In particular, the conversation between Adam Goldberg’s Denny and Doug Carlin prior to most crucial event in the film took place, was fantastic; the dialogue was whitty, touching and a bit funny. One of the most important things about the film was the use of cameras. Cameras were used, not only for viewing purposes, but to make the story work as well (more so than any other film I’ve seen). Without the phenomenal work by the camera crew, the film would simply have failed. Unlike other films, where certain aspects of the film can be subpar and the film can still work, this film needed complete perfection from each and every person who played a role in it. I felt that everything came together well and that everyone contributed in a way that made the film nearly flawless. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0453467/?ref_=nv_sr_1
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