Movie Poster

All real freedom risks crime. Indeed, freedom is crime, because it thinks first of itself and not of the group.

# Review

Loosely based on the gruesome case of Leopold and Loeb, the story follows the veteran detective Cassie Mayweather (Sandra Bullock) as she attempts to solve a seemingly random murder. When all the evidence seems to point towards one direction, Cassie instinctively feels that something is wrong.

The story starts interesting and quickly drags on as the plot moves away from the (relatively) intriguing case to Cassie’s personal life. Bullock’s Cassie is decent but poorly written and unlikeable; her backstory is also largely irrelevant to the film's plot. I did enjoy the edgelord duo of Ryan Gosling’s manipulative Richard and Michael Pitt’s submissive Justin, though, albeit almost in a sardonic manner due to some of the corny lines. There are some interesting themes about psychology that the film briefly touches on but doesn't explore, such as the boys’ relationship with one another. The “plot twists” are also predictable and inconsequential. Perhaps the most unexpected scene of the entire film is the one involving an inexplicable primate.

# Conclusion

A very generic detective thriller.

# Overall rating: 7.0

What does the rating mean?