Through the years Robert De Niro has lost most of the shine he had when he was younger. There was a time that you couldn’t wait to see his next movie and thought he was the best around. Somewhere around 2000 his movie choices were getting worse and his roles forgettable. I haven’t seen a lot of his movies since then, not even Righteous Kill with Al Pacino. Because I’m a big fan of Edward Norton, I decided to watch this movie, but if he wasn’t in there I probably would have given this movie a chance.
Stone (Edward Norton) is a criminal who has been in jail for years. He tries to get out for good behaviour and his situation is evaluated by Jack (De Niro). Stone is a gangster who isn’t afraid to say what’s on his mind and it quickly becomes clear that he will not say what Jack wants to hear. Jack is intrigued by Stone and convinces him to talk and tells his story so he can try and understand him.
Jack has some of his own problems at home as he’s a prisoner in his marriage. His wife is very religious and Jack goes along with it, reluctantly. It’s clear that the fire between them extinguished a long time ago. When Stone’s wife (played by Milla Jovovich) contacts him to convince him that Stone should be released. Is it possible for Jack to remain professional?
The acting in the movie is great by De Niro, Norton and Jovovich, which makes it an interesting movie to watch. It all feels muggy and it takes a while before you get to know about the characters. The pressure slowly increases and you expect it to end with fireworks. Unfortunately the movie disappoints in this respect, which results in a lower score. The movie is worth watching, but the ending disappoint. De Niro shows that he’s still got it, but if he still wants to is the question when you watch the trailer for Little Fockers (a movie which I will refuse to watch).
Score: 6