**A film that deserves to be revisited and remembered.**
I think it's unfair that this movie seems to be so forgotten nowadays, but maybe that's because of the intricate plot, loaded with flashbacks. I can understand that, but I think there are even more confusing films out there that have never gone out of style. Anyway, it's a quality film, with good actors and a story, to say the least, intriguing. A small note: the film took home both Oscars for which it was nominated (Best Original Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor).
It all starts when a group of men, apparently random, is taken by the police to participate in a line-up. What seems at first very casual, is not: all of them were criminals well known to the authorities, and most particularly one of them, who was also a policeman and seemed to have retired from crime and to be living an honest life. After this opening scene, the film shows the efforts of the police to capture those responsible for a shooting on a boat, with several dead and a single survivor, who will tell everything that happened. And I say no more because this script is one of those that gets better the less you know in advance.
The cast is dominated by two great actors: Gabriel Byrne and Kevin Spacey. Each in their respective character, but both very committed to their work, they steal the public's attention whenever they appear, ending up being, in a way, complementary: Spacey gives life to an apparently fragile and sick man who would be the most unlikely suspect, whereas Byrne is the typical "tough guy". I don't know if I can say that this film is Spacey's best so far, maybe that's premature, but it's safe that his work here opened doors for him to fly higher. Four years later, he would go on to win the Oscar for Best Actor with “American Beauty”. Byrne, on the other hand, is one of those talented actors who never seem to have had their big moment in cinema. I also want to highlight the good work of Pete Postlethwaite, in yet another secondary character of strong relevance, two years after receiving his (only so far) Oscar nomination.
Technically, I think it's worth praising the direction of Bryan Singer, who stayed true to the suspense and managed to resist the temptation to let the film slip into loud and noisy action scenes that weren't really necessary. The best thing about the film is the tense environment it builds, the enigmatic and mysterious way in which it tells its story, and this would have been partly lost if the director filled his film with random shootings and chases. Another point that deserves a note of praise is the soundtrack, and in particular the main theme, used in the opening and end credits, and which is perfectly atmospheric. The rest remains average, but is done without glaring errors. The only points I feel I should criticize negatively are the opening credits graphics, which look very dated now.
