This sprawling, arrogant mess of a movie lacks focus and the elliptical narrative and the rapid appearance and disappearance of apparently important characters suggests that a much longer director’s cut exists.
The film’s promise delivers little so ones attention is held by a dazzling central performance from Daniel DAY-LEWIS - but only when he is on screen. In fact, the many British actors here help out the American mediocrities who play the leads by elevating them to world-class status simply by the British presence. The leads are unconvincing lovers with no sexual chemistry and so the love story falls flat. They have surely missed their vocation because they are not much good at acting.
Essentially a musical with violent episodes - as director Martin SCORSESE’s movies tend to be - the cultural mix is well-presented visually but not so dramatically. This lack of resonance also hurts the story of deep-seated political corruption; making this a pretty empty spectacle that forgets to tell an engaging story. Its take on White supremacy, for example, (that it is a backward-looking wish to cut off ones own nose to spite ones own face) is all well and good - but lacks further insight. As with Adolf Hitler, the audience is presented with a charismatic tyrant who rules with his all-powerful will allied to a self-destructive personality.
This film is really nothing more than a large-minded movie, on an impressive scale, but possessing a small heart.
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