What a beautiful movie!

Memorable, crazy movie

Dreadfully Boring

Am I Missing Something?

When I first heard about this movie, I didn't really think about watching it because I thought the romantic aspect would be exaggerated with pointless love scenes that deviate from the tone of the movie. However, after watching this movie, I can tell that it has a little bit of everything, so no one could be left dissatisfied. What I liked about this movie is, apart from the slow, but intense build up to the ending scenes, that there was a bitter taste throughout the entire movie. It is almost as if you can sympathize with the characters and see the difficulties they have to overcome. At some moments the movie is really poignant and the feeling of hopelessness prevails. The movie also shows Russell Crowe's incredible acting range, where he surprises with yet another delivery which was unexpected from the actor. The other actors also played their roles convincingly, which had an important role in building the atmosphere. I haven't watched the French version, but I would highly recommend this one, as it should be at least a little bit likeable for just about anyone.DISCLAIMER : Everything stated in this review is entirely matter of personal opinion and doesn't have to coincide with the opinions of other reviewers

An outstanding thriller with solid cast performances throughout. The Pittsburgh setting is a breath of fresh air and the tempo of the movie is its great strength. Moments of touching emotion tempered with fast paced action sequences. The story of an ordinary person put into a vulnerable and dangerous setting is always fascinating. You find yourself thinking, "what would I do in that situation?" There are very few plot holes, if any. No ridiculous special effects or unrealistic fight sequences that plague so many movies in the genre. I decided to buy the French version "Pour Elle" to make my own comparison of the two films. The reviews here that praise it unequivocally and heavily criticise the Russell Crowe version are way off base. the French version is mediocre at best. It lacks realism, the acting is wooden and setting is vague. The police and prison officers are not as intimidating, the parents of the lead actor are weak and the chemistry between the husband and wife is unconvincing. Just because it has subtitles does not make it any better!

** SPOILERS AHEAD **Definitely a nice and enjoyable action thriller. Very well written, directed and played by all main actors. The tension is kept from beginning to end, and there are definitely some smart moves made by the husband John (Russell Crowe). Nevertheless, if the creators did want to try and win some "masterpiece" price, the only single "motive" of successfully managing to fulfill the impossible dream and alter reality should have failed instead of this typical Hollywood "happy ending".For example, the movie could end up more realistically (sorry for that kids...) if when Lara takes her head out of the car, she is killed by the truck, or better - when she and John sit by the car on the highway, they decide to give themselves up. You are invited to see the much better movie - "The Counselor" as an example of such ending when a (future) husband tries hopelessly to save his fiancé, which got a 10 from me.

Before watching this I had a thought about it being something like State of Play (2009), in the lights of that this is a bit more dull, this is not a bad movie at all, but it shouldn't be compared or judged before it has been watched.This is a very exciting movie, I could have liked a little more action, but it's great and very clever build up. For me this is not that much of a thriller, maybe it's because I'm not totally clear on the genre Thriller, yes this was exciting at times, but not really thrilling, not scary and didn't keep me on the edge of my seat. For me this was more a drama, with some action and some excitement, and that's not a bad thing at all, it worked, I liked the movie a lot. Russell Crowe is a great actor and that he proves once again, but also the acting of all the others in the cast did a great job, there are a few Hollywood things here and there, very clever cops that almost have a hunch for knowing things they possible could not, and a few other things, but that does not fall on the actors at all.