This has an interesting-enough story, some remarkable performances, and decent production values, yet still fails, for several reasons.
First - Minnie Driver should never wear another blond wig. It wasn't a bad wig, mind you - but she looked so wrong as a blond that it marred every scene she was in.
Second - have someone who hasn't read the book read the script. So much of what was going on was unexplained that it was difficult to follow the action.
For example, at one point, Mahowny is gambling in a casino, dealing from the shoe. The game could be blackjack, but it's not clear enough to be certain, you never see the other player(s?) at the table, so it's unclear whether it's a casino employee or another patron. The only casino game in which patrons deal that I know of is baccarat - and I don't believe that that is played in U.S. casinos.
At another point, Mahowny is driving along in his old car, and the scene cuts to his car being stopped in the middle of the street, with him trying to restart it. Did he run out of gas? Did the engine just quit, inexplicably? The action at the bank is told in much the same way - there are little snippets, but the viewer never gets enough information to have a clear idea of how our protagonist is doing what he's doing.
It probably makes a much better story if you already know the story - but there's so much missing from the actual action, and from the characters, that it's remarkably difficult to become engaged with either the events or the characters.
I'm giving it 4/10, but only that high because the performances were as good as they were. The script gets 1/10 - I must admit, I've seen worse.
First - Minnie Driver should never wear another blond wig. It wasn't a bad wig, mind you - but she looked so wrong as a blond that it marred every scene she was in.
Second - have someone who hasn't read the book read the script. So much of what was going on was unexplained that it was difficult to follow the action.
For example, at one point, Mahowny is gambling in a casino, dealing from the shoe. The game could be blackjack, but it's not clear enough to be certain, you never see the other player(s?) at the table, so it's unclear whether it's a casino employee or another patron. The only casino game in which patrons deal that I know of is baccarat - and I don't believe that that is played in U.S. casinos.
At another point, Mahowny is driving along in his old car, and the scene cuts to his car being stopped in the middle of the street, with him trying to restart it. Did he run out of gas? Did the engine just quit, inexplicably? The action at the bank is told in much the same way - there are little snippets, but the viewer never gets enough information to have a clear idea of how our protagonist is doing what he's doing.
It probably makes a much better story if you already know the story - but there's so much missing from the actual action, and from the characters, that it's remarkably difficult to become engaged with either the events or the characters.
I'm giving it 4/10, but only that high because the performances were as good as they were. The script gets 1/10 - I must admit, I've seen worse.