Straight Edge Life

This was a great movie. Why beat around the bush. One of my favorites. And hard to compare with anything else I’ve sen this year. You might compare the overall tone of it to Mystic River, but these are two very different movies. For one, Ben Kingsley is fantastic. He delivers an astonishing portrayal of weakness and strength inseparably tangled. His character reminds me of a shakespearean tragedy, a one man train of pride heading for inevitable disaster. With this kind of movie you don’t question whether or not he will make it out alright, he won’t. The pleasure of this movie is being so moved by the strength of Kinglsey’s character that you only question how many he will bring down with him as he falls. You only care about those he touches, and you feel sorry for the man himself. Kingsley carries this movie. His character is so well developed, and his story is so strong and well delivered. It’s just awesome.

Jennifer Connely and Shohreh Aghdashloo are excellent as well. The entire cast is quite strong actually. I highly recommend seeing House of Sand and Fog.