While my favorite entertainment magazine did not give this movie a good review - I couldn't disagree more. There is no doubt that this movie is disturbing - made only more so by the fact that it is based on the true story of Jesse James Hollywood.
The story centers around the kidnapping and murder of a 15 year old boy in 1999 in California over $1,200 in drug money. The circumstances leading up to his death are baffling. It is as if all of these young men were not living in the real world. They were all somehow involved in drug dealing, but (according to the movie) kidnapped this kid on a whim and didn't really think about taking it to the next level in regard to what happens when you add kidnapping to your list of crimes (and then finally murder). The amount of witnesses to the crime are staggering - and nobody knew what they were witnessing.
Other reviewers felt the story was a bit choppy because it jumped (inconsistently) back and forth between an interview-style of storying telling with a documentary feel (as it chronicles the witnesses) to a fictional story-telling style. I really didn't have any problem with this because I was so blown away by the story itself.
While many of Jesse's accomplices have been tried and convicted, Jesse's trial has not started yet. It will be interesting to see what the outcome of his trial is and close the book on this case - to give the victim's family closure.
The acting was great - Emile Hirsch (as Johnny Truelove - aka Jesse) was scary good. You just didn't like the guy. And Justin Timberlake did an excellent job (I was very surprised at his performance). Bruce Willis, Sharon Stone and Harry Dean Stanton were also stand-up.
Check this movie out.
End.
No comments:
Post a Comment