This is a really difficult film to review. You have to sense the impact the first half-hour makes on the viewer--getting hooked into the story of a woman who, in an effort to kill a drug dealer, accidentally blows away four innocent people. Then, in the midst of confessing her deed to the Italian authorities, the young police offer acting as translator falls in love with her and helps her escape. Two very intense performances from Blanchett and Ribisi rivet the viewer's attention.
But from the moment of escape onwards, the film lingers too long on artful looks and poses from its stars--CATE BLANCHETT and GIOVANNI RIBISI--as they deal with what to do next. The suspense comes from knowing that they're only one step ahead of the police who are scouring the entire country for them. But Blanchett is a woman with a mission--she still wants to kill the doctor that she set out to murder in the first place. With the help of Ribisi, she does manage to do exactly that.
Strangely, the last twenty minutes of the film, instead of milking the situation for maximum suspense, comes to a lull in the Italian countryside and the plot is almost stagnant from that point on as if nobody knew how to end the tale. Having them get into a helicopter and fly off into the clouds seems like the only way out after the writer trapped himself into a corner.
Morally, the tale is as bankrupt as the misguided heroine and the hapless hero. Yet, for all its blunders, it remains an engrossing film to watch as you ponder the fate of these two strangely remote individuals who have fallen in love so suddenly.
The high-cheekboned Blanchett and expressionless Ribisi make an odd couple, but in life how many of these do we see all the time? The ambiguous ending is sad too because we know they can't escape their fate as they escape from the authorities in a stolen helicopter and make for the skies.
But from the moment of escape onwards, the film lingers too long on artful looks and poses from its stars--CATE BLANCHETT and GIOVANNI RIBISI--as they deal with what to do next. The suspense comes from knowing that they're only one step ahead of the police who are scouring the entire country for them. But Blanchett is a woman with a mission--she still wants to kill the doctor that she set out to murder in the first place. With the help of Ribisi, she does manage to do exactly that.
Strangely, the last twenty minutes of the film, instead of milking the situation for maximum suspense, comes to a lull in the Italian countryside and the plot is almost stagnant from that point on as if nobody knew how to end the tale. Having them get into a helicopter and fly off into the clouds seems like the only way out after the writer trapped himself into a corner.
Morally, the tale is as bankrupt as the misguided heroine and the hapless hero. Yet, for all its blunders, it remains an engrossing film to watch as you ponder the fate of these two strangely remote individuals who have fallen in love so suddenly.
The high-cheekboned Blanchett and expressionless Ribisi make an odd couple, but in life how many of these do we see all the time? The ambiguous ending is sad too because we know they can't escape their fate as they escape from the authorities in a stolen helicopter and make for the skies.