...a colorful but routine murder mystery, with too little tension and too little suspense.
Second, there´s DePalma´s unforgivable transgression of revealing the killer halfway through the story. I suppose he wanted to give us a whodunit in the first half of the film and a thriller in the second. What he succeeded in doing was to give us too little of either one.
Then, he uses flashy time switches and eccentric, overhead camera shots presumably to reveal new perspectives on some of the events, but which only seem gratuitous and serve to further muddle the issues. Finally, he comes up with an ending that is so preposterous as to defy all odds, all reason, all description. Not even Atlantic City would take bets on it.
Video:
Fortunately, Paramount do right by the movie by presenting it in excellent color and 2.35:1 widescreen. The tones are bright and vivid, adding to the gaudy, circus atmosphere of the events, and the wide screen captures all of the activity in detail. There are occasional flutters in closely spaced horizontal lines, nothing more.
Audio:
The Dolby Digital 5.1 sound, though, is curiously mundane. It never really opens out to all the speakers. There is a choice of Dolby Digital or Dolby Surround in the setup menu, but I did not find much noticeable difference between them. Not even in the big crowd scenes, where one would expect some action from the rear channels, was the sound particularly impressive. To its credit, however, it is clean and neutral in response and makes for clear, easy listening.
Extras:
Beyond the film, Paramount offer little additional material: a scene selection menu and a trailer only.
Parting Shots:
I like Nicholas Cage, and he does what he can with his part. But it´s a thankless role, sleazy and pat. It´s DePalma who lets us down. He´s a director who has come up with a lot better in the past and from whom we expect a lot more now. Maybe it was my anticipation and letdown that spoiled the film for me. I wish you better luck.
Then, he uses flashy time switches and eccentric, overhead camera shots presumably to reveal new perspectives on some of the events, but which only seem gratuitous and serve to further muddle the issues. Finally, he comes up with an ending that is so preposterous as to defy all odds, all reason, all description. Not even Atlantic City would take bets on it.
Video:
Fortunately, Paramount do right by the movie by presenting it in excellent color and 2.35:1 widescreen. The tones are bright and vivid, adding to the gaudy, circus atmosphere of the events, and the wide screen captures all of the activity in detail. There are occasional flutters in closely spaced horizontal lines, nothing more.
Audio:
The Dolby Digital 5.1 sound, though, is curiously mundane. It never really opens out to all the speakers. There is a choice of Dolby Digital or Dolby Surround in the setup menu, but I did not find much noticeable difference between them. Not even in the big crowd scenes, where one would expect some action from the rear channels, was the sound particularly impressive. To its credit, however, it is clean and neutral in response and makes for clear, easy listening.
Extras:
Beyond the film, Paramount offer little additional material: a scene selection menu and a trailer only.
Parting Shots:
I like Nicholas Cage, and he does what he can with his part. But it´s a thankless role, sleazy and pat. It´s DePalma who lets us down. He´s a director who has come up with a lot better in the past and from whom we expect a lot more now. Maybe it was my anticipation and letdown that spoiled the film for me. I wish you better luck.
Average user rating (1-5):
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