Review of The Adjustment Bureau (2011) by Ittarter — 04 Mar 2011

Rango was sold out so I had to settle. I was most gravely disappointed. The chase scenes were mediocre, the romance cliched, but the pitiful absence of philosophic acuity lost my interest. In fact, I fell asleep for fifteen minutes.

This is not to say that many will not enjoy this film. If you just want a fun thriller with a feel-good moral at the end and a resolution that will make you ponder fate and free will on the drive home from the cinema, then by all means, check it out.

The lead roles are played well. In fact, everyone except Mackie, who I suppose could use his assumed persona as an excuse for his inability to convey anything registering on the spectrum of emotions. However, since the others in his same "line of work" appear to possess a full palette, he sticks out like a sore thumb.

On the other hand, Damon is acting "better" then he ever did in Bourne Ultimatum. The first thirty minutes are magisterial. Once the character is "developed," though, the action takes over, and the film's quality goes steadily downhill. Damon's values, ambitions and personality are completely eroded by the overwhelming love interest. Apparently the best part of the movie simply serves ironically as a foil to draw attention to all the differences (read: shortcomings) of what comes afterward.

If the writer had the courage to make a drama and not a thriller catering to the public's flickering interest in the question of personal destiny, this might have made some Best of 2011 lists. As it is, it will be forgotten by the end of the month.