Too many films have the potential to be a truly great film, but just somehow fail to achieve the greatness, becoming instead something that just avoid being thoroughly mediocre. This film is a good example of this kind of films.
The film is stylish, depicts a violent and seedy world with simmering ethnic tension well. The climactic New Year Eve scene is excellent, a a scene that might be beautiful and joyous which then erupts into violence and a bloody riot. But somehow the whole film doesn't gel. There are many intriguing ideas simmering underneath but that aren't exploited fully or just felt misdirected, and the plot lacks a tightness in logic or coherence. The film is also excessively long - it meanders a little too much, some scenes are too long (and some unpleasantly so, like the murder of Iris), and a full 30 minutes can probably be trimmed and the film might be better for it.
A big problem is that Ralph Fiennes is unconvincing as an ex-cop turned peddler of dubious ware. He doesn't have that look of toughness, slightly seedy world-weariness or street-cred required for the role, instead looking like an Englishman somewhat lost in LA. When the lead actor doesn't convince, the rest of the film tends to fall a bit flat, and accentuates all the other problems one sees in the film.
Verdict - could do better.
The film is stylish, depicts a violent and seedy world with simmering ethnic tension well. The climactic New Year Eve scene is excellent, a a scene that might be beautiful and joyous which then erupts into violence and a bloody riot. But somehow the whole film doesn't gel. There are many intriguing ideas simmering underneath but that aren't exploited fully or just felt misdirected, and the plot lacks a tightness in logic or coherence. The film is also excessively long - it meanders a little too much, some scenes are too long (and some unpleasantly so, like the murder of Iris), and a full 30 minutes can probably be trimmed and the film might be better for it.
A big problem is that Ralph Fiennes is unconvincing as an ex-cop turned peddler of dubious ware. He doesn't have that look of toughness, slightly seedy world-weariness or street-cred required for the role, instead looking like an Englishman somewhat lost in LA. When the lead actor doesn't convince, the rest of the film tends to fall a bit flat, and accentuates all the other problems one sees in the film.
Verdict - could do better.