Reviewing Movies

Ryan Phillippe finally gets an adult role in which he doesn't have to take off his clothes to expose that taut little torso of his; mind you hiding those dimples would be a crime. This is a spy story without the spooks, dead bodies, or labyrinthine plot lines. Rather it concentrates on character though the tension level is no less great. Chris Cooper gets to glower through the whole but Ryan gets a chance to prove he can carry a movie on his own. The underlying menace becomes so tense at times the expectation of an explosion becomes overwhelming. The theme of pitting an old pro against an upstart newbie is straight out of the wild west tradition. The marital tensions the pressures of his job spawned must have echoed real life for Ryan. Whether or not the storyline has a factual basis is immaterial to the enjoyment of a good plot though once again Opus Dei rears its ugly head. In this case the protagonist truly had cause to attend daily confession though it would appear he was short on repentance.