Review of Lonely Hearts (2006) by Gary N — 23 Sep 2010

I didn't know this movie had been made until I noticed it on my DVD rental site. A great cast, a true story & period piece about two deadly con artists- if it never got released-it must be awful right? Wrong! Its no masterpiece and may lack a little get up and go in places, but there is still plenty to like.

Leto, Hayek, Gandolfini, Dern and all are great, only Travolta and the guy playing his son are somewhat lacking. The story of Travolta's cop; his wifes unexplained suicide; alienation is slotted in but seems to get in the way of the procedural elements of the story-the director seems to suggest some major connection of sorts between the parallel themes without ever bringing Travolta's story to fruition.

Nice period detail and some good, surprisingly gruesome sequences give the movie a welcome edge. The director is actually the real grandson of character Travolta plays-you can see why he wanted to bring it to the screen.