So much average

Awesome Movie

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

One of Peter Gallagher's best, and a very good Soderbergh film overall. Also William Fichtner is always fun to watch. Gallagher plays a role that is indeed a very complicated one, as the person he is playing is a very deeply troubled soul with a lot of self loathing shame that he condemns on himself and which his character's brother condemns on him as well. Gallagher's character leaves a woman he loved years before, for no rhyme or reason(actually a little bit of a reason, but not enough to constitute one leaving), and his character vanishes out of her life for many years before returning back into her life again. Gallagher plays the character with such likability that you feel for his character's confusion of himself, and his nomadic ways of being able to just leave on people he cares about, just like that. You feel for his character in being the black sheep in his brother's eyes and his indifferent ways. A Self Study of a person's confusion and their search for self love as well as love from another person and also walking the line with themselves between right and wrong and trying to make amends for past wrongs. Worth a watch for the deep, precise performance of Peter Gallagher.

Steven Soderbergh's highly enjoyable remake of the 1949 film noir "Criss Cross" is a story about a group of characters whose interactions have a critical bearing on the outcome of a planned heist. The deceptions, betrayals and double-crosses involved complicate the already tense relationships between them and provide the basis for a variety of plot twists that ensure that the action never gets dull. The presence of a non-linear narrative, dramatic close-ups and shots within which the main protagonist is seen framed within a confined area, are all faithful to the classic film noir style and the inclusion of some strong colour sequences, not only identifies the time spans being depicted but also contributes to the movie's off-beat atmosphere.In "The Underneath" an apathetic drifter whose life has no orthodox focus finds that the resultant void within him is occupied by his most powerful obsessions and it's these obsessions that determine the directions that his life takes. Michael Chambers (Peter Gallagher) was a compulsive gambler who, in the past, ran up enormous debts that led to him having to leave is home and wife in Austin, Texas. Some years later, after having squared up all his debts and given up gambling, he returns to his hometown to attend his widowed mother's wedding.Michael's return isn't welcomed by his brother David (Adam Trese), who's a police officer. He despises Michael for not being around when his mother needed him most and also for not turning up for his father's funeral. David is also secretly hooked on Michael's ex-wife Rachel (Alison Elliott) and is resentful because he anticipates that Michael will try to rekindle his relationship with her. Rachel, who is now involved with a local nightclub owner and small time gangster called Tommy Dundee (William Fichtner) is extremely bitter about the circumstances under which Michael left and the problems that she subsequently had to face alone.Michael's future stepfather Ed Dutton (Paul Dooley) helps him to get a job as a driver in the armoured car company where he's employed but Michael's attention soon becomes concentrated on getting back together with Rachel. She's initially hostile to any reconciliation but later gives Michael some encouragement and they meet in secret. On one of these occasions they're discovered together by Tommy who's an insanely jealous psychopath. In order to extricate himself from an extremely dangerous situation, Michael quickly invents a story about a proposal to steal a large consignment of money which is due to be transported by his company. Tommy agrees to take part in the robbery but things don't go according to plan and after the heist, the number of betrayals and twists that follow bring events to a surprising and fascinating conclusion.Peter Gallagher successfully conveys Michael's consistent indifference to the feelings and needs of those who are closest to him and also portrays his character's selfishness and self-destructive nature very effectively. Alison Elliott draws a clear distinction between Rachel's personality as it was before Michael's enforced departure and the more embittered person that she became later. The supporting cast are also very good with William Fichtner making a particularly strong impression as the extremely violent Tommy.

With two sets of flashbacks, count them two sets of flashbacks interspersed throughout the movie the last one catching up to where the movie begins in the present, it just makes a garbled mess. Kind of like the last sentence.I like Peter Gallagher and Elizabeth Shue, but she had such a small role and he couldn't save the convoluted mess that movie just seems to be told out of sequence like it is.The cinematography is nice if that's any consolation! I bought my copy at Walmart for $5.50 and I can't honestly say I'll ever watch it again. I can't recommend it, but I won't condemn it either.

This is a slow dreary movie. The main characters are unappealing and Peter Gallagher in the main role produces, in my view, a wooden performance. Best moments are the brief appearances of Joe Don Baker and Elizabeth Shue who both have a real screen presence.