The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

Though the script is somewhat plodding, the film has a genuine quality to it. Forest Whitaker is good as the tormented parolee. Harvey Keitel plays the revenge seeking sheriff. It is Brenda Blethyn however who steals every scene she is in, as Whitaker's parole officer. I would agree that not much happens in this film, yet it is it's low key performances that keep the viewer intrigued. The cast is first rate. In addition to Whitaker, Keitel, and Blethyn, Luis Guzman and Ellen Burstyn also are quite good. If there is a problem, it is with the ending, which is somewhat unresolved, and hangs uncomfortably. I should also mention that the extra on the DVD titled Fences", is very interesting and timely. The interviews with border residents, for and against the border wall, are very informative. - MERK

Review: I really wasn't a big fan of this movie because it takes ages for something to happen and when it does, it still isn't that great. Its basically about a man who gets released from prison after killing a police officer and he tries to fit back into everyday life. The cops make his life hell because he murdered one of there own, so he struggles to fight against his violent impulses whilst staying true to his new found Islamic faith. When he finally gets pushed to the edge, he is forced to take matters into his own hands which goes against his trusty parole officer rules and his new found religion. All the way through the film, Forest Whitaker is being his usual moody self, trying to make an honest life for him and his girlfriend. Harvey Keitel is only in a few scenes so you stuck with a moody movie which really gets boring after a while. Once Whitaker reaches breaking point, the showdown at the end wasn't that great but I did like his parole officer who was played by Brenda Blethyn. Anyway, I personally got fed up with the movie after a while and I didn't find it that entertaining. Disappointing!Round-Up: Forest Whitaker has become one of the most moody actors of all time. He very rarely cracks a smile in any of his films, except for films like Our Family Wedding, Phenomenon and Good Morning Vietnam which were made earlier on in his career. He has put in some amazing performances in the Butler, the Last King of Scotland, Phone Booth and the Panic Room but I still find his acting quite hard to watch at times. Anyway, I didn't find his acting that great in this film and the script didn't help matters. It was made by the French director Rachid Bouchareb who brought you London River, Little Senegal and Just Like A Woman which were all low budget movies which didn't make it into the mainstream. Although this film had 2 big named stars, it still didn't get the big Hollywood distribution treatment because the concept was poor and quite depressing after a while.I recommend this movie to people who are into their deep dramas about a violent man who finds religion in prison and finds it hard to deal with day to day life when he gets released. 2/10

José Giovanni often found inspiration in his own life for his screenplays :he knew jail as the sound of his own name and he was once sentenced to death.His "Deux Hommes Dans La Ville" was first a plea against death penalty (after André Cayatte's "Nous Sommes Tous Des Assassins "(1952) and Claude Lelouch's "La Vie L'Amour La Mort " (1968)).The end of his movie depicted an execution in lavish details,with the sinister guillotine.This finale has remained memorable .Whitaker takes on Alain Delon's part ,Dolorès Heredia Mimsy Farmer's ,and Harvey Keitel Michel Bouquet's.The probation officer who was a man in the French movie(Jean Gabin)with a whole family ,including a "May 68 " son,becomes a bachelor (which is perhaps a mistake ,cause the French hero becomes friend with all of them and it urges him to have his own family) vigorous woman.As the background is entirely different from Paris,I had not even established the connection between the two movies ,although the sheriff reminded me of his French equivalent.And I was amazed when I noticed that the human officer -who tries in vain to let a terminally-ill man return and die in his native Ohio- listened to French singer Barbara .Whitaker gives one of the most restrained performances of his career,most of the time straight-faced ,even when he is humiliated : in jail ,the convict often redeems himself by finding Bible and Jesus :here ,maybe influenced by Malcolm X or Mohammed Ali,he found Allah ,but it does not make a big difference .Keitel's part is not very interesting,being repetitive and finally dull:the actor deserved better material.On the other hand,Brenda Blethyn makes all her scenes count. Mrs Burstyn's short appearance is ,as usual,a lesson in acting ,but is she really credible as the hero's mom?The desolate landscapes near the Mexican border are at least as impressive as the urban background of the French movie.It enhances Garnett's longing for a simple life ,and his desire to have a wife and children.That the ex-prisoner finds his sweetheart as soon as he is out of jail is somewhat unlikely,but it was already one of the flaws of the French model (Mimsy Farmer was also a bank employee in Paris).This is not for action-packed movies buffs;it is actually more austere and slow-moving than Giovanni's original movie ;violence is kept to the minimum and sex is almost absent;it's certainly underrated,although the raison d'être of the 1972 version is wasted .NB:As "Deux Hommes Dans La Ville" was a huge success in France,the title of the remake was changed into " La Voie De L'Ennemi" (the enemy's way)

Not many movies/performances/actors compel me to spend the time to write a review that can be read by many others here but if you are a lover of film and the art of acting, you can't help but be completely overtaken by a performance like the one given by Forest Whitaker.Say what you will about the plot whether you like it or agree with the storyline, you can't help but feel for Forest's character. It's easy for us looking in from the outside on someone like the character Forest plays, someone who is trying to turn his life around and live a normal life but to those who have a direct connection to his crimes (Harvey's character), it's a completely different story.There is no question Forest's performance carries this movie from beginning to end and if you love the art of film making and know and understanding acting, you owe yourself to watch this movie.