Every scene is essential and economical. All the fat has been trimmed and what is left is a story so simple you want to scream at Hoffman and Hawke's characters for not anticipating the outcome. And Marisa Tomei!!! I'm speechless.

It's as bad as others here have already stated. I hated watching every minute of it.

I agree with the Baltimore Sun evaluation... good acting, but not an enjoyable movie. This is an ugly movie in tone and essence, ultimately meaningless, which seemed to be the theme. I didn't care about the characters one whit, and the directorial drive towards pointless tragedy told without any kind of vision left me feeling like I was abused by the film. I pity the poor actors forced to live those characters for however long the project look.… Expand

The actors were okay It was nice of Ms. Tomei to show us the results of her "operation". It became increasingly inplausible (the usually wonderful Albert Finney's silly pursuit of his sons) as the film careened to a conclusion.

Pretty solid all the way around. As for complaints about the story line jumping back and forth, you get used to it.It's a style , that's all.(Think Pulp Fiction) It's still a good entertaining story with solid acting and writing.Easly better than 95% of the films in theaters today.

This is a great movie: it should become a classic. On DVD commentary, director Sidney Lumet continually refers to film as a 'melodrama." Malybe he does this to protect himself, but he should refer to it as a "tragedy." It feels like a Greek tragedy to me, though I haven't quite figured out why yet. Only faults I can find: film--was "filmed" digitally---seems overposed (intentionally) in many places and ending probably unslatisfactory for most viewers.… Expand

What a gem. A dark gem, but a gem.

I was expecting something dark and gritty but with some humanity -- like "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead" or "Layer Cake," for example. But this was just one morally moronic person after another lapsing into one bloody calamity after another. Love the lead actors, but never believed them as brothers. A depressing waste of time.

(8.5) Admiration without enjoyment is a good way to put it. Like a late Picasso, one can appreciate its mastery without actually finding it beautiful. Hoffman's performance is on par with what he did in Magnolia and Love Liza. He sort of teeters there on a wire. Finney is far, and yet not so far from the bitter, self-consumed husband he was at times in Two for the Road. Hawke gives the movie all its top-heavy forward momentum. One wonders what brick wall he will smack into next. And I could never, for the life of me, describe what Tomei does with her character, I just know that it was brilliant.… Expand

Disappointingly terrible and implausible ending. The dark themes are fine but the writers seems to have lost their footing about how to resolve their story. Sure there's some nice acting here and there but the story fails. Miss it if you can!

I agree with Timothy JN (above individual critic) that this movie reminds one of a greek tragedy. And it is a perfect, tragic story. The characters are doomed from the begining to the end. The main tragic figure is Andy, and his tragic flaw is drug addiction. The plot spins helplessly /,along with the tragic screams of Andy in his driving home brow beaten by a father, who is pre-destined to undo the hero. Oh Sophocles where are you when we need you!… Expand

Fascinating movie from beginning to end. A terrific character study of normal people under desperate times, being influenced by a true monster who wasn't normal to begin with.

With a spare and wrenching style, Lumet invests a melodramatic premise with the annihilating power of Greek tragedy.

This movies was soo amazing. I cannot believe that it was completely ignored by the Academy. I found this movie better than No Country For Old Men.

An absolute Greek Tragedy with brilliant peformances.

Generally good movie, a lot of jumping around that had me confused at some points but other than that fairly made.

This was a great movie. Great drama. If you want to see flashing colors or explosions, this movie isn't for you. It is a story that unfolds in a unique way. Great acting. Great story line. Great directing.

I can't believe that more people have not seen this movie. It is probably the most intense movie that I have ever seen. Some of the best acting coupled with some of the best directing and a killer story has made a movie one should not miss for anything, but I doubt that most have even heard of it.

Good adult crime drama with great performances by all the leads.

Excellent movie. Very depressing, but really well put together.

I love this movie, one of my favorites. Hoffman and Hawke do a good job.

Over all quite boring, endless flashbacks get so repetitive that leaves you wanting the movie to just get to the point already! and it takes a while before it does. Very surprised it got such a high rating here since it's below average at best.

Excellent film!

Terrible. Ethan Hawk is a lame actor and Hoffman made a mistake taking on this role. Don't waste your time or your money on this rubbish.

This movie is absurd: a relentless tumble from one horrible sequence of events to the next In essence, the viewer is inundated with each of the character's sins, ranging from homosexual heroin liaisons; to inter-family infidelities; to its filicidal climax... The characters lack any humanity, are impossible to sympathize with--particularly once the viewer, half an hour in, starts to understand that they are merely the author's little self-destruct machines. By the end, my partner and I were amusing ourselves by guessing in what contrived way it was about get worse. Correctly guessing, I might add. Predictability. Another of its sins. Only our shock-hungry generation cynical could buy this depiction of characters plowing so purposefully to their dooms as a morality tale. Depressiobitionist is more like it.… Expand

I can't imagine a movie which begins with an anal sex scene developing into anything worth watching... and this was no exception. Another perfect example of how stupid and WRONG professional movie critics are. A movie that the general public will not like = a high rating from critics.

I don't get all the hype. This is a cheap looking movie with an outdated director and a story that falls into completely ridiculous melodrama by the end. No thanks.

Great movie. Hoffman is amazing.