Mike McD’s review published on Letterboxd:
Scavenger Hunt 100 - 21/31: A movie in a theater that was released this year
I feel like the trailer was kind of misleading which led me to be slightly let down on this first viewing. Only slightly though because I very much enjoyed the film and the 3 hours totally flew by. The one scene I was anticipating (the bomb drop) didn't disappoint in the slightest. What an amazing achievement.
The performances across the board are excellent. Cillian Murphy puts the entire thing on his back and carries easily. This is a best actor kind of performance. My favorite boy Matt Damon is great in a supporting role doing something he doesn't do very much, be unlikable. Both Florence Pugh and Emily Blunt get their moments and are really good. Nolan doesn't always do women right but I think he managed to do some good here with them. The surprise hero though is Robert Downey Jr. I had no idea his role would be this big and he absolutely crushed. Lock in the Best Supporting Actor Oscar right now.
Along with RDJ my other surprise hero is Ludwig Gorensson and the entire sound design team. Another knock on Nolan has been his use of sound and he went right ahead and turned that into this movie's biggest strength. Every sound (and silence) is in perfect balance and in service of the scene. It keeps the movie going at its breakneck pace and keeps our heart rate up as it does it. It takes our breath away then breathes life back into us. Besides the explosion I'm not sure the 70mm cut was really necessary but a theater experience for the sound design alone is worth it. I hope my dinky little surround sound system can handle it when I rewatch this at home when it streams.
I'm actually expecting my rating to increase after a rewatch now that I know what kind of movie to expect. Honestly courtroom dramas are totally my kind of thing and if I had gone in expecting it I'm sure I would've been delighted to no end. I still recognize this as a major achievement, I'm just not ready to crown it as the best of the year or the best I've seen from Nolan.
2023 Trailers
2023 Ranked
Matt Damon Ranked
Nolan - Ranked
Courtroom Dramas/Comedies - Ranked
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