Review of 21 Grams (2003) by Connor _ — 01 Jul 2010

Not really an original concept or screenplay, but portrayed very well, it was really carried by the actors. All of the actors gave great performances. Starting with some voice over by Sean Penn, here playing a mathematician professor with a terminal illness involving his heart.

Benicio Del Toro gives the best performance by far as the ex-con who found God but hasn't really lost his aggressive nature. Our third main character is Naomi Watts, an ex-drug addict mother of two.

When Del Toro accidently runs over Watts' husband, Danny Huston, and daughters, Watts donates Huston's failing heart to the hospital, who puts it in Penn and saves his life. Penn, feeling overwhelmed by graditude, hires a private detective to find out who's heart he has and, upon finding out Watts' scenario, becomes dedicated to helping Watts emotionally recover and exact revenge on Del Toro.

Del Toro, after coming home with a bloody car and shaken up, turns himself in, against the will of his wife, Melissa Leo in a very good turn. Leo, a very Lady Macbeth-like woman, cleans off the car and hopelessly tries to convince Del Toro to forget the accident ever happened.

Charlotte Gainsbourg co-stars as Penn's lover who's determined to have Penn's baby through a surgical procedure, which Penn reluctantly agrees to. Clea DuVall is Watts' caring sister and Paul Calderon is Del Toro's friend and former employer.

Not easily forgettable is Eddie Marsan's performance as an eccentrically enthusiastic reverand friend of Del Toro. It's nice to see Marsan branching out into all kinds of different roles, and it's even better that he can play them wonderfully.

Leo gives a great performance as the dependant alchoholic wife of Del Toro whose husband's harshly religious parenting could very well be considered as misinterpretation. Penn remains with pretty much the same facial expression the whole time, but that could be blamed on his health condition.

He was good but he character started to bore me after a while. The screenwriter, Guillermo Arriaga, did not give his charcter much originality or creativity like he did Del Toro's. Watts' cynical performance was notable, but all she really had to do was cry on cue, which she does virtually every scene.

DuVall gives a good performance too, I wish I'd have seen more of her to give her a better assessment, though, because she is a good actress with a bright future if any producer would be willing to give her a chance.

Gainsbourg's performance is among the best of the film, playing Penn's flawed, betrayed lover whom he disposes of when after his use of her is gone. But above all other performances in this film is Benicio Del Toro.

Del Toro's born-again ex-con surpasses even his 'Traffic' performance. With a regretted past, Del Toro finds it difficult to let go of his ex-con nature deep down and it often shows. He becomes lost in his faith after killing Watts' family, believing Jesus made him do it and Jesus wants him in prison.

When Marsan, unlike your stereotypical preacher, shouts and curses him, he responds by, as Marsan puts it, turning away from God and damning himself to hell. Del Toro is the only creatively written character, making it seem like either Arriaga focused mainly on writing Del Toro to be the figurative bright spot of the film, or Arriaga has a special gift for writing characters like that.

A very strong cast all around and a decent screenplay with an eye-catching but overused style of cinematography. B+.