1) Kevin Spacey's performance, except for the end, which wasn't his fault because the writers did that. I hated the ending, it tried to be "unpredictable" but you could see through it. By trying to be cool like that, it destroyed any hope for the characters to have actually evolved rather than simply beaten down by circumstance.
2) Laurence Fishburne beating the crap of out people. Awesome. I also hated the decisions his character made at the end.
Fixing the end is easy:
1) Make the last run a genuine team effort instead of a flimsy setup. Give a real reason for teacher dude to get back in the action. Give a real reason for the main character to seek forgiveness. Stick some humility in there on both sides.
2) Have Laurence Fishburne's character win out not by nabbing the guys, but by putting one over on his employers. Legally, if possible. For example, discovering some kind of illegal activity at the top of the organization, and then busting the guy and rubbing his face into the gravel until he agrees to fund a swank retirement. He could even then walk out of the casino at the same time as Kevin Spacey's character (who is getting away clean in disguise), do a bit of a double take and then say something cool like, "Good luck back in Boston." (NOT "winner, winner, [anything that rhymes with 'winner']" OMG LAME)
I would like to add:
ReplyDelete1) Kevin Spacey's performance, except for the end, which wasn't his fault because the writers did that. I hated the ending, it tried to be "unpredictable" but you could see through it. By trying to be cool like that, it destroyed any hope for the characters to have actually evolved rather than simply beaten down by circumstance.
2) Laurence Fishburne beating the crap of out people. Awesome. I also hated the decisions his character made at the end.
Fixing the end is easy:
1) Make the last run a genuine team effort instead of a flimsy setup. Give a real reason for teacher dude to get back in the action. Give a real reason for the main character to seek forgiveness. Stick some humility in there on both sides.
2) Have Laurence Fishburne's character win out not by nabbing the guys, but by putting one over on his employers. Legally, if possible. For example, discovering some kind of illegal activity at the top of the organization, and then busting the guy and rubbing his face into the gravel until he agrees to fund a swank retirement. He could even then walk out of the casino at the same time as Kevin Spacey's character (who is getting away clean in disguise), do a bit of a double take and then say something cool like, "Good luck back in Boston." (NOT "winner, winner, [anything that rhymes with 'winner']" OMG LAME)