First - seeing Laurie Holden, Melissa McBride and Jeff Demunn who are best friends with Darabonte, long before Walking Dead, is brilliant. A director that brings talent along with him on multiple journeys, has got to be just a super fella to know and work with, and be friends with. Demunn on this, Walking Dead, and of course Shawshank. Jeff is a power house, and has been in films since before I was born.
Second - Marcia Gay Harden... enough said.
Third - Andre Baugher and Toby Jones. I mean truly, you cant much better raw, pinnacle acting than these two.
It has been said ad nauseam about the ending; yet truly only a handful of times have I sat next to the TV with my hand on my mouth in awe, and that being at the end. Maybe Boy in the Striped Pajamas, probably the final scene of Empire of the Sun...it's that true 'gasp' moment, that very few directors (Tobe, clearly M.Night, Spielberg, A.Holland), few movies, in fact few moments ever in cinema can capture. This is one of them; its very, very well done. Despite the odd feeling that this was shot on a Hi-8 camera, it has a sort of found footage feel to it. I know it isn't but, I have to say its one of the very rare films, that you wish you had made. I absolutely loved it. Not a 5, as well that's for rare gems like Sound of Music lol.