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So after seeing Premium Rush and Dark Knight Rises as well as a few others of his movies, I am not embarrassed to admit that I have a man crush on Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Let's face it, he's a terrific actor. So I decided to watch a few of his old movies and this kind of caught my attention and I'm glad I decided to give this a shot.
As much as I loved this movie there were a few things here and there that bothered me. Some of these might bother more than others, it didn't bother me as much as it did with a few people but they still bothered me a little. First and foremost there is nothing original about the story. It's pretty much One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest but with teenagers. It didn't really bother me that much thanks to the outstanding cast. The biggest thing though was the camera. It's filmed in a documentary sort of way but it's not a documentary. Whatever the director was trying to say escapes me. It kind of made the whole movie seem pointless. Also, since it's filmed the way it is at some points the camera would shake uncontrollably for no reason which gave me a headache. These were really the only things that bothered me.
Now to the good things which made me forgive all the little problems I had. For starters, this movie actually takes the time to develops it's characters which is an extremely good thing since that's absent it most movies today. I cared about these characters, I wanted them to get better and I actually cared about what might happen to them which took me by surprise. Normally I don't do that with many movies.
The cast does a solid job and they are probably the best thing about the movie. Each actor humanizes they're character, they react to the way we would in certain situations and the way emotionally damaged teens would. Two people really stick out though. Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Don Cheadle. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is excellent at playing an easily angered, lost teenager. He is convincing when he loses it, and starts becoming enraged. Cheadle however, leaves more of an impression as the Doctor of the Juvenile Lockdown facility. He reacts the way a normal human being would in certain situations. There was one scene in particular that really left an impression on me. It's when Joseph Gordon-Levitt's character punches one of the other kids during one of the group cessions, the way Don Cheadle reacts feels so real and natural.
Overall, the story is nothing new, and the way this movie is filmed is a bit off-putting but, the fantastic cast, the well developed characters, and strong script elevate the proceedings considerable. This is a very grim film about lost teenagers and it might prove to be too much for people but, this is a great movie and I'm glad I watched it. Even after a week of seeing this, it's still strong in my head which means something.
