Year: 1995
Accolades: One of 1001 Films You Must See Before You Die
I know there is a lot of love for this film out there, and people often talk about the climax of the film. I had the opportunity to go into this film relatively blind, not knowing much about it other than the fact there is a twist or something towards the end.
I must admit, I was left wanting more from this film because even not knowing, I still found elements of it predictable. This is the sort of film that wants to shock you, and in order to do that it has to follow a certain path. Once many of the possibilities are eliminated by the end of the second act, I clearly saw what kind of path that was going to be.
Each of the three acts also feels a little too different. The first act is what I was expecting and hoping the film to be: a calculated investigation of gruesome murders in which the murderer seems to have the upper hand all the time. But then the tone shifts, and suddenly things get a bit messy in terms of tone and pacing. New murders are almost glossed over, as if to just remind us that there are still a few sins left to cover.
And then there is the much talked about finale. I just found it frustrating more than anything else. The build up is constantly diffused by the dialogue, which seems intended by the characters to diffuse the situation, and then when it all finally boils over things are dealt with quickly, abruptly, and then the film ends what feels like 30 seconds later. I felt as if there was no payoff at all to the film as a whole, because there was no time to digest the aftermath.
That's not to say the film is bad. It's not, and I can agree with the critical acclaim it received. It's well directed and acted (although I found Brad Pitt's character annoying a considerable amount of the time), and the technical work is all top notch. I can see why a lot of people like the film, but I just couldn't get into it.
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