This script could have made an excellent film, but it was totally ruined by miscasting and misdirecting. The most obvious mistake, and one I can hardly believe anyone on the cast, let alone the director, let happen, was the mish-mash of accents! On top of that, add misuse of words appropriate for the time period. In the first half hour, John Cusack's character says he's "pissed off" -- this term wasn't even used until 1968 (check the Oxford English Dictionary)! The writer should have checked on this--it's unconscionably poor writing. And speaking of John Cusack, he was totally miscast, or misdirected, here. Why did the director let him play his typical modern character? His mannerisms and language were totally out of period, making his character unbelievable. And as soon as that happens in a story, you lose your audience.
