This film is the subject of some of the most dismissive reviews I’ve ever read. And, having seen it, I’m not sure that it’s a good film either. But I can’t disregard the fact that at its centre it has a deeply provocative idea; an alternately heroic/horrific act of humanity that flies in the face of a common myth: that we human beings owe each other nothing. I don’t want to say much more about it here, because it deserves not to be spoiled for people who might want to see it fresh; but I’m not sure I’ve seen anything like this before: a mainstream Hollywood ‘feelgood’ film that also manages to be one of the most disturbing stories I’ve ever seen.
