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Tom Cruise stars as David Aames, a publishing tycoon who inherited a business empire from his father. He has a friend called Julie (Played by Cameron Diaz) and thinks they can sleep together and remain just friends. At a party, he meets Sofia Serrano (Penelope Cruz), who arrives with his friend Brian. Then, the film leads us on a labyrinth of mysteries beginning with Julie offering David a lift in her car. From here, the film continues to unveil more and more surprises, often doubling back on itself and, I felt, twisting and turning so much that it starts to ‘lose the plot’, as it were.All in all, the filmmaking is of a good standard. Early in the film, there is an astonishing shot of Tom Cruise alone in Times Square and the film is filled with many visual delights. The on-screen chemistry between Cruise and Diaz and its contrast with the chemistry between Cruise and Cruz was also good to watch.
However, by the last quarter of the film I was left alienated and did not care enough about Tom Cruise’s character or the inevitable plot ‘twist’. The film is all based on this ‘twist’ but, when it came, a long (and quite boring) section was necessary to try and explain it all – a sure sign, I feel, that the film was not crafted as well as it could have been (compare this to the economy and ease with which other ‘twist’ films often manage to end). The film seemed like it was trying to be intelligent and moral but, to be honest, I never really bought it. I was left feeling slightly unfulfilled and unsatisfied. Obviously, the film may well benefit from a repeat viewing to search out the clues in the way the twist was constructed. However, the problem with that is I am not particularly inclined to watch it again – at least, not soon.
Having said this, the film does have a great soundtrack.
