- guardian.co.uk, Friday May 23 2008 00.09 BST
- The Guardian, Friday May 23 2008
Sidney Lumet, aged 83, has come up with a gripping, anguished crime thriller reminiscent of his great days, which included Dog Day Afternoon. This is another New York heist gone wrong, which suggests in its early stages a light-hearted, perhaps even comic bungle, but turns into a mighty tragedy about flawed characters, family life and corrosive relationships as well as a fatal game of consequences to match that of Fargo. It's wonderfully performed, especially by Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ethan Hawke and Albert Finney. But even minor characters have dramatic weight, and the veteran director is paired with first-time screenwriter Kelly Masterson in a plot that is teased out to us, flipping back and forward from its central robbery in the style of Reservoir Dogs, but to very different effect. There are a few non sequiturs en route, but as the story burrows into its characters and their motivations, it's easy to forgive that. It's further proof that Hoffman just doesn't make duff movies, and while this didn't make much of a splash in cinemas, it deserves a proper DVD audience; it's tricky enough to merit a second viewing.
