The movie is entertaining, but due to reasons, other than the performances of its stellar cast: Angela Bassett has just a few and dull moments on the screen. Marlon Brando is helpless with the trite role assigned to him. Though De Niro plays the lead role in this flick, even his performance is limited by the action-oriented role, he plays. The starry-cast fails; but the suspense, the gizmos, and of course, Edward Norton save the day.
Edward Norton is full of life, zest, and enthusiasm. The dual role played be him, as a retarded housekeeper and as an adept thief, is pretty convincing and smartly enacted. The gadgets seem like con-jobs, but are however, pretty well-done and detailed. The computer-hacking part and the part about stealing the codes regarding the security system are overdone, and seem factitious and fatuous. The hacker-geek with a baneful mother is a lot more baneful than his squalling mother herself. Amidst of the many imperfections in the movie, it builds up steadily and interestingly to a well-written and well-directed climax. More than anything else, it is the climax of the movie, which makes it complete as an entertaining thriller.
With the kind of the star-cast it has, the movie is deceptive: It doesn't have substance, it doesn't have style, and it lacks maturity. If watched with keeping the brain aside to rest, it is thrilling and entertaining, and can be savored at best. Along with its healthful entertaining value, the score itself, of THE SCORE, by Howard Shore is good music for the ears.
7/10
