Aldin Lee

This film lacks, but not for the reasons it has been panned by some. Syrupy, and better classified as a very well produced Hallmark Theater style film, it even then fails to accomplish any real emotional tug, except for the real life (unintentional) poignant punch at the end, involving Jack Lemon, who passed away 8 months after its release. Some have criticized the Bagger Vance character, played by Will Smith, with various politically correct barbs, that are all untrue, instead displaying their own hypocrisy in the process. While Bagger is played as a flesh and blood character, who can be seen and engaged by anyone, it is quite clear, if not early on, then at the end, that he is in fact the embodiment of an angel, no less so than is seen in films like It's A Wonderful Life, or TV shows like Touched By An Angel. The only 'over the top' stereotype I detected, was in fact the portrayal of the civic leadership of Savannah. It reminded me of Dogpatch from Lil'Abner. Albeit, the city received such marvelous exposure with the cinematography it likely laughed off the caricatures.

Though it appears to have occasional dialogue issues, the suspense in the film more than makes up for it. I mean, geesh, some of the most famous, rather iconic, suspense thrillers have the lamest dialogue. One critic harped on it being too illogical, but I suspect that comes from a lack of life experience. As to the ending, it may not please everyone's sense of justice, but it is good story telling.

I am completely mystified as to the adulation displayed for this movie. Long thinking Hitchcock as a master of movie making, recalling my memories of seeing Rear Window, The Birds and Dial M for Murder, along with iconic scenes from others in his portfolio, I was hyped for a good film experience. I was impressed with the opening credit run, which I though quite stylish and innovative for the period, thus sustaining my anticipation. After an opening scene, tailored for Grant's trademark screen persona, the film/story quickly begins to disappoint, in no small way due to the fact that Grant was entirely too old for this role; or perhaps the role itself was illogically written. Even the casting of his 'mother' (an actress just 7 years his senior) begs the question. While the lead role casting may begin the disillusionment, it is quickly joined by the consistently bad directorial performance. At this point, we haven't had enough of the story unfold to even know the premise behind all of the action thus far, but you wonder if you want to stick around long enough to discover it. In short, there are episodes of Batman, the TV-series, which have every bit as much charm, suspense, action, and logic, as NxNW. Having researched the film's background, I suspect the screen writer, Ernest Lehman, for whom this was his first original screenplay, was overly influenced by Hitchcock, who'd apparently had certain action scenes he'd long envisioned filming. And, yet, even those two most visually iconic scenes disappointed, due to either questionable plot context and/or implausible action sequences (the details of which are far too many to list here). Lastly, though charming as a British accent may be to Americans, there were, laughingly, so many from leading characters in this film, it almost needed dubbing to believe it was set in the U.S.

If you are turned on watching a hot guy stripped to the waist for much of a film and don't mind bad dialogue and lots of bad plot logic, as long as there is plenty of suspense and life threatening action, then it's a FOUR star movie. If the first has zero appeal for you and the second is intolerable, then it's a ONE star at best. I give it a 2.5, but rounded down instead of up cause the ending was lousy. It could have gained some measure of respectability if its last scene had been left out.

Being a film on true events, reviews are as often motivated by a need to express one's thoughts on those events as on the production quality of the film. Mine is a bit of each, as they intertwine. A fine production (technically and artistically) and hitting all the marks which were needed to convey the story well, but then that for me is the rub, the choice of story. Early on, I had seen the evil that occupied the White House (on 9/11, I offered to a co-worker that Bush was smiling inside as he would be able to use the events of that day to get re-elected, which was the only thing on his agenda). I didn't know then of the further horrors which the administration (headed in fact by Cheney) had in store. That the years have gone by without a real public accounting for their deeds, films such as this offer the only hope for revealing the truth about the inside motivations and manipulations utilized to fulfill them and, too, the gullibility and culpability of at least half of Americans, including several Democrat politicians whose own political ambitions took precedence over doing right. Just as Joe Wilson was beside himself over how the media could be focused on him and his wife, rather than the obvious duplicity at work in the White House, I am disappointed that the film does the same. Though being based on Plame's book and using its title as the film's title as well, makes clear its central focus, there is an empty feeling at the end, not even a sliver of a silver lining as Plame is seen addressing a Congressional committee, not on the big crime that helped lead to the death and misery of so many humans, but only on matters of classified material. The film makes a tiny nod to public redemption, with Joe Wilson's lecture to college students at the end, but then only shows him doting on individual virtues rather than examining the White House schemes and a media that is woefully incapable of deep thought.

I almost gave this two stars, when I would have liked to have given it four. A marvelous, albeit heartbreaking, story and well produced, but the ending, which I won't reveal, leaves the viewers so short changed.

I don't believe the RT rating gives this film its due. As most reviewers note, it is certainly not boring, as developments occur at a rather rapid pace. To belittle it as just another fraternity prank gone wrong flick, as several have, makes me suspect the reviewer still has some college baggage. It is a clever enough story line, and though having a few logic glitches (that could have been avoided), I didn't consider the events as improbable as several reviewers. The negative for me was the token racism thrown in. The seed of that thread was a false lead for the police, which could have been introduced without the latter need for stereotyping the southern white frat boy, who already was vile enough without that stink added. Otherwise, a good watch.

I had to think hard on how to describe this film, as it is a flawed hybrid of entertainment and documentary film making, yet the story at its center is certainly worthy of anyone's time. Aside from the story, yet another among hundreds of similar ones from that historical period already dramatized, there is the appeal of the cast, which includes some acting legends. But, despite the inclusion of James Mason and Maximilian Schell, the production doesn't work well as 'entertainment'. It might be divulging too much (possible spoiler alert) to describe portions of the film, and certainly its ending, as Disneyesque. It shifts from a tale of saving human lives to one of saving historical buildings.

The second star is for the fact that the production values are pretty good. This is at best a scary B movie that will satisfy most gore addicts. That description is not to suggest that this is a suspenseful film or deserves the label 'thriller', though others' reviews liberally use those adjectives. It could have been suspenseful and a thriller, but the writer/producers went the 'blond' characters and lots of blood route. The story within the story could well have been left out, as it only ended up producing some of the most ridiculous dialogue (given the perilous circumstances presented and the life threatening physical injuries of the two main characters); think smarmy cartoon character chat on a Saturday morning kids show. Just don't go in with your thinking cap on, and you'll be happy. And to keep animal lovers from being on the verge of walking out, the dog, the only 'character' I worried over, survives the stupidity of his human companions.

Surprisingly lots of either very negative or very positive reviews from the general public, most lacking sufficient references supporting their view; the 'professional' reviewers are often cynical and always eager to impress you with their wit and vocabulary, the combination of which is nauseating, i.e. you'll enjoy the film far more, minute for minute, than you will reading any of their reviews. The only caveat for 7500 is not to expect a riveting ending, but that said, you will enjoy some intense moments of suspense, even if the situations break little new ground in story telling, the exception being the unique pilot and stewardess relationship which underlies the film's most intense moments. The best feature of the film is its limiting, for the most part, your view to that shared by the pilots. I don't find the film at all claustrophobic, anymore so than the highly acclaimed Das Boot. Also, claims of stereotyping are out of line, albeit the story would have held more credibility had it used some means of time stamping the event. I don't think making up a scenario, such as angry native Hawaiians demanding independence is going to improve the reviews. While there were actions I thought the main character should have taken, the craft of story telling at times demands short changing logic. In fact, the most annoying instance of that in this film, for this nerd, was a logistics one, that of flight time between points.