okies... bout time I updated this
was hoping a few more people woulda posted...
anyways... the movie itself is taut... pacing is decent though there are very perciptible lapses..
Mann guides the viewer into believing there will be a predictable ending... whether it turns out to be so you will have to watch
tom cruise does a more than adequate job as an assasin for hire with his minimalistic approach, his intense gaze of focus throughout the movie and his almost catlike stylization of action...
he also is a very suave and savvy character... you WANT to believe what he says... anyone else in his role perhaps would not have carried it off and the fact that its tom cruise MAKES you root for him (I respect him as an artist... what can I say
)
jamie foxx plays a good foil with his frantic cabbie approach with a thing about being clean
I did notice that the deliberate pacing of his voice left him sounding a lot like Wesley Snipes... he does an adequate job in the movie and does justice to his selection...
there are some brilliant scenes in this movie... in a jazz bar for example... that are pivotal in providing a glimpse into the characters and really playing out on the talent of the people involved...
there are a couple of disjointed moments and a coupla things which coulda been handled differently but for the most part the movie is well made...
I was entertained and am happy to say this rounds out a coupla weeks of good movies
4/5 OSNN stars... probably not gonna be oscar-worthy but I would recommend it to any thinking person out there who doesn't mind a little bit of stylized violence...