There's no retina-scorching MTV fizz here, just an old-school, slow-burn exploration of The Evil That Men Do. Torn between rage and grief, heavy-lidded eyes full of pain and regret, Sean Penn fully deserved his Oscar as the father out to avenge his daughter's death. It's a meaty, Method, DeNiro-in-his-prime performance, up there with Penn's work in Dead Man Walking and Carlito's Way. As for Tim Robbins, who also received one of the Academy's golden doorstops, he expertly captures a trauma time won't heal - - the aftermath of child abuse echoing down generations.
A film about how our past informs our present, for both good and ill, it's apt that it feels so defiantly old-fashioned.
DVD Extras:
From Page To Screen, an 11-minute doc that's pure promo. Still, Clint espouses wisdom gleaned from John Huston ("treat every scene like it's the most important scene in the picture") and we learn that Sean Penn regards Clint as "the least disappointing Americanicon he's ever met."
