Review: 21 Grams (2003)^{Raided Now!}

Quality Score: 7.5/10

Starring: Sean Penn (Mystic River), Naomi Watts (King Kong), Benicio Del Toro (Sin City, Traffic)

One needs to watch this movie twice. Not only because it's good, but also because one finds it difficult to follow it the first time – unless one has already seen Amores Perros by the same director.

The movie is a series of excerpts from the story of three individuals played by Sean Penn, Naomi Watts and Benicio del Taro, finally brought together by fate through one freaky accident. It's the jig-saw puzzle of broken images that come to form a complete picture of tragedy and redemption. Had it been linear, the story though predictable, would've still been unique and brilliant.

Enthralling performances by Penn, Watts and del Toro make it an actors movie. Sean Penn brilliantly portrays Paul, a math professor with a bad heart. He speaks eloquently with his eyes and his beautifully scripted dialogues. Though his marriage with Mary (Charlotte Gainsbourg) is on the rocks, he still wants to have a baby with her. But he needs a heart transplant to do that. The heart donor comes in the form of Cristina's (Naomi Watts) husband who died in a car accident caused by Jack Jordon (Benicio del Toro), an ex-con who has served his sentence and is on the path of spirituality.

Naomi Watts is convincing as a depressed, drug addict. Benicio del Taro as a severely guilt ridden Jack Jordon, essays perhaps the best role of his life to date. The entire movie demands one to sympathize with the characters and leaves you a bit shaken.

The first half of the movie does get confusing, as the scenes are not in chronological order. One even wonders if there have been a series of editing errors. By arranging the pieces abruptly, the director actually demands attention from the very beginning. The pieces have been brilliantly shot, showing the past, present and the future of the characters lucidly.

The music is peaceful. High contrast visuals evoke somber imagery apt for a dark, non-linear narrative. It's only when the movie is over that you will fit all the pieces together and watch the movie again. And this time, you'll love every scene in it.

Alenjandro Gonzalez Inarritu's 21 Grams is a masterpiece (Also on CR - Alejandro's Babel).

Genre: Drama

Movies You May Like: Babel, Amores Perros, Ayutha Ezhithu (Yuva), Pulp Fiction

-Vijay V. Giri