A good remake; it seems like the ultimate impossibility. Yet despite the challenges that would lay ahead, director Kenneth Branaugh chose to take on this foreboding task nonetheless. He now proudly joins the ranks of the few people to pull it off successfully in his unfairly maligned update of the 1972 film of the same name. Over 30 years have passed since the original film (1972), so Michael Caine, who played the young lover of the main character's wife, now trades roles while the role of the lover is given to Jude Law; both succeed magnificently. This is a good thing, considering that the film is mostly just Caine and Law talking to each other. Films that rely almost entirely on dialogue can be problematic: they have to maintain their quality and keep you on edge so you don't get tired of hearing two people talk for a film's entire running time (it should be noticed that this remake is roughly half the length of the original; 90 minutes). Luckily, Harold Pinter's screenplay shines with ruthless dialogue that's undercut by a wit as sharp as razor; some remarks come close to drawing blood. Think of it as a little gem that got lost amongst the overcrowded last quarter of 07...
Grade: A-
Nominations: Best Adapted Screenplay - Harold Pinter(#5)
Number of 2007 Films Seen: 65
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