Blue Valentine - A Movie Review by Andrew Lawrence

"I didn't want to be somebody's husband and I didn't want to be somebody's dad, that wasn't my goal in life. But somehow it was. I work so I can do that."

With The Place Beyond The Pines, a new movie directed by Derek Cianfrance coming out in like a month or so, i thought I'd watch and review his latest movie, to hopefully get an idea about what kind of experience I'll be in for. I had heard a lot of good things about Blue Valentine, so i was really looking forward to finally seeing it. It was one of the few Ryan Gosling movies i hadn't watched jet, and since he's my favourite actor at the moment, I had high hopes for this one. 

Looking at the poster for Blue Valentine, you'd think that it's a story of two people falling in love. Now, it is about love, sure, but not in the good way. It's a sad movie from start to finish, it's main theme being fading love. Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams are married, they have a kid, work normal jobs, and you can tell from the very start that their relationship is failing. They fight and argue, and every time they get intimate or try to work things out, they end up being pushed even further away from each other.

Even though this movie has flashbacks to when the two main characters first met and fell in love, it's ultimately still sad all the way through. The glimpses of how happy Gosling and Williams used to be only serve to make you feel even worse about watching their marriage fall apart bit by bit, and when it was finished, Blue Valentine made me question whether i want to get married myself, it's just that sad. Do NOT watch this movie with your girl- or boyfriend if you guys already have a few rough edges in your relationship, just don't. 

Blue Valentine is beautifully acted, there's no denying that fact, but it had no story arch. Nothing spectacular or interesting really happens, there's no suspense or drama or anything, it's just a tale of two unhappy people, where nothing really happens. I'd say the climax of the movie was when Ryan Gosling takes his shirt off, and for that to be the most exiting part of a 2 hour movie, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't bored at times. The scene that the two spend in some creepy motel room was especially boring to me, and watching Michelle Williams take care of her grandmother was dull as well. 

Gosling is an amazing actor, that's just the way it is, and his performance is one of the things that lifted this movie a bit for me. He's such a versatile performer, and the fact that he agreed to have his hair cut in order to look like a 40-year old was pretty cool to me, considering how great his haircut normally is. I mean, take a look at this picture and then at this one, and tell me that's not the true definition of dedication. The kid in the second picture was surprisingly one of my favourite parts of Blue Valentine, and that comes from a guy who normally hates kids, especially in movies. She's really cute in this one, and you can tell she had a good time filming the few scenes she was a part of. 

I really wanted to like this movie, and i kinda did, yet at the same time i kinda didn't. My mother always says that a good movie won't leave you feeling sad after watching it, and usually i disagree, because movies rarely leave you with just that. In the case of Blue valentine though, that's exactly the case. No one ended up being happy or having found love, no problems were solved, and goslings hair line only got worse and worse. Despite being endlessly sad, Blue Valentine had some funny and a few sweet moments, and great acting all the way through. I can't say that i regret watching it, and because of this I'm gonna say Blue Valentine was worth the watch, even though i got close to facepalming a few times. (3/6)

Blue Valentine IMDb page here

Blue Valentine trailer here

American Beauty - A Movie Review by Andrew Lawrence

"I feel like I've been in a coma for the past twenty years. And I'm just now waking up." 

American Beauty took the world by storm. Many great movies came out in 1999, and if you were to trust critics and organisations like the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Sam Mendes' directional debut was the best of them. It won 5 oscars and 86 other prices (according to IMDb.com), including 6 BAFTA awards and 3 golden globes. Now, I've only just seen this movie recently, and i honestly had no idea what to expect form it. I didn't know if it was gonna be a drama, a thriller, comedy or whatever, and after watching it, i honestly still don't know which of those categories it fits. All i know is that this movie amazed me. Man, did it amaze me. 

American Beauty takes place in a suburban neighbourhood, where the depressed Lester Burnham, portrayed perfectly by Kevin Spacey, is feeling the affects of a midlife crisis. When he falls in love with his daughter's best friend, he realises that it's not too late for him to turn his life around. This marks a new beginning for a few of the neighbourhood's residents including Lester's wife Carolyn, their daughter Jane and her friend Angela, whom Lester is in love with, and the neighbour boy Ricky and his father Frank, a homophobic marine. Now, if you've read my review of Django Unchain, you will know that one of my biggest gribes about that movie was it's lag of character progression. It's really kinda fitting for American Beauty to be the next movie in line for review, because it just might be the movie with the single MOST character based progression I've seen, ever. Watching all the previously mentioned characters evolve with and around each other in their personal pursuit of happiness, is one of the most enjoyable movie experiences I've had in my short life this far, and this pursuit is one of the main themes of this movie. 

The other main theme, and probably the biggest one, is American beauty. The American dream tells people that being a mother with a job in the suburbs, a colonel in the army or a skinny, blond, beautiful cheerleader is ideal. This is however not always the truth, as it is the case in this movie. Carolyn may have money and a beautiful house, but she is miserable on the inside, and just like Col. Frank she needs to be in control of things in order to be happy. Angela is the girl Lester falls in love with, because she is beautiful on the outside. In reality, she's mean and abusive, but her outside looks don't give that away. Lester falling in love with her symbolises how people care too much about what's on the outside, and the picture of her lying in a bed of roses is an iconic metaphor for materialism. Ricky falls in love with Jane, even though she's not nearly as good looking as Angela, because he's capable of seeing the beauty inside of her. He's actually the hero of this movie, because he's capable of seeing though the curtain that the idea of outside beauty has shrouded the world in. 

Even though it is a serious movie, American Beauty has some extremely funny moments, and it's actually really clever humor most of the time as well. There's just something about the way Kevin Spacey's character stops giving a shit about materialistic things that hit home with me. I also really liked how the director uses shots of the characters being alone to symbolise how they feel at any given time. Especially the ones of Jane looking at herself in the mirror stood out to me, because they're great examples of how someone can feel terrible because they might be a little too over weight, even though they are beautiful on the inside. 

As you probably can tell, this movie struck home with me, big time. I love the acting and the themes and messages of this film so so much, and i completely understand how this movie won the oscar for best picture over movies like Fight Club and The Matrix. Kevin Spacey's acting is phenomenal and the character development is outstanding, the music fits great to the tone of the movie, and i understood the message that the director wanted to get across. Not giving this movie my highest rating would be a sin and travesty, so that's exactly what i'm gonna do. American Beauty is movie magic at it's best, there's no simpler way to say it. (6/6)

American Beauty IMDb page here

American Beauty trailer here

Django Unchained - A Movie Review by Andrew Lawrence

"Kill white people and get paid for it? What's not to like?"

Django Unchained is a new movie written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. Now, I was super hyped for this movie from the instant I learned that Tarantino was creating a western, and even more so when the list of actors involved came out. Christoph Waltz was fantastic last time he collaborated with Tarantino, Leonardo DeCaprio is one of my favourite actors, and I seem to remember seeing Samuel L. Jackson play some minor role in one of Tarantino's earlier movies (...), so I was absolutely stoked to see these guys work together. 

The movie takes place a few years prior to the American Civil War, and it's about a slave called Django, played by Jamie Foxx, who was separated from his wife when the two of them tried to escape from the plantation they used to work at. Django teams up with former dentist turned bounty hunter Dr. King Shultz, played by Christoph Waltz, and the two go on a rampage, killing white criminals and collecting their bounty. Django chooses to help Dr. Shultz because he enjoys getting revenge for the terrible things white people have done to him over the years, and because the former dentist promises to help Django free his wife from her owner Calwin Candie, played by Leonardo DiCapro. 

Now, I'm someone who believes in talking plainly, so I'm just gonna say it; I felt disappointed after watching this movie. Admittedly the acting is out of this world fantastic, the action scenes are incredibly tense, the comedic scenes are comedic gold and the dialogue is as good as only Tarantino can make it, but I went into this movie with the wrong expectations, and realised it too late. To me, the plot is too weak. I do get the whole revenge aspect of this movie, but I really didn't feel like that was enough for a 2 hour and 45 minute movie. The length didn't bother me at all, I love long movies, but that one story arch of Django wanting to avenge his wife getting taken from him, just doesn't cut it for me. It was too linear and predictable and there were no surprises or twisting turns. 

I also didn't feel a thing for any of the main characters. In Kill Bill I rooted the shit out of Uma Thurman and totally dug her desire for revenge, but in Django Unchained, I just could not feel the same for Django. In Inglorious Basterds, Cal. Hans Landa was such an asshole and such a racist that you couldn't help your jaw dropping every time he opened his mouth, and even though Leo did an amazing job as the racist douchebag in Django, I just didn't connect with him at all. This goes for all the characters, for some reason I just didn't care whether they lived or died, no matter how awesomely acted they were. 

Speaking of acting, I do want to give credit where credit's due. Samuel L. Jackson plays this old slave called Stephen owned by Calwin Candie, and he's just SUCH and ASSHOLE to the good guys in this movie. He totally brown noses Leo, and it's extremely entertaining hearing him drop the n-bomb twice in every sentence. Now that I think about it, he actually reminds me of Jules from Pulp Fiction, just from the way he talks. Then again, Jules had some awesome character progression throughout the movie he was in, something Stephen has none of, just like the other characters from Django Unchained. He is entertaining as hell, though. 

Christoph Waltz also did a great job in this movie, albeit not as good as in Basterds, but still worthy of an oscar nomination. ALso, just because I didn't connect with Leo DeCaprio and Foxx's characters doesn't mean i think they did a bad job, far from it actually. Leonardo got snubbed off the oscar nomination in my opinion, and I would have liked to see Foxx get one as well, even though I get why he didn't end up getting one, considering how many outstanding performances by leading actors we have seen this year. 

The comedic scenes are also something I want to touch upon. Of cause, as it is always the case with Tarantino movies, Django Unchained had some of the funniest moments I've seen all year. One scene in particular stands out; the mask scene. I believe no one who's seen it will disagree with me when I say that if there was an academy award for most hilarious scene of the year, this one would have won, guaranteed. The violence in this movie is also incredibly graphic and bloody, so think twice before bringing your kids to see Django Unchained, but just like the r-rated language, that's kinda what we have come to expect from Tarantino. 

In the end I guess I just went into this movie with the wrong expectations. Had I expected an easy to watch, entertaining and mindless movie without too much focus on the plot, I probably would have had the time of my life. Tarantino really is a man unchained when directing movies, and I do see why people would think this is one his better ones, if seen from the right angle. Had I watched the movie without expecting it to be something more than it was, I probably would have given it the rating of worth buying on BluRay, just because of the entertainment factor, but judging by how i felt when i left the theatre, about the weak plot and awesomely acted yet unrelatable characters, I'll have to settle with giving it my seal of approval. (4/6) 

Django Unchained IMDb page here

Django Unchained trailer here

Se7en - A Movie Review by Andrew Lawrence

"Wanting people to listen, you can't just tap them on the shoulder anymore. You have to hit them with a sledgehammer, and then you'll notice that you've got their strict attention." 

Se7en. This is another movie directed by David Fincher, starring Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman. It came out in 1995 (my birth year!), and I was introduced to it by my father about two years ago. I've watched it several times since, and it's easily one of my favourite movies of all time, and definitely my favourite Fincher movie. The theatrical release grossed 300 million dollars, more than 10 times it's budget, and it's widely regarded as one of the best crime investigation movies out there, and it revolutionised my own view on the horror genre, even thought it's not entirely a horror movie. What makes it different is that it's really really clever, compared to most other horror movies that come out today. The fact that it has a message and not a single cheesy jump scare proves this perfectly.

The movie takes place in a a dark, damp, gloomy city where it's always raining. Police veteran William Summerset (Freeman) and the rookie David Mills (Pitt) are on the hunt for a sadistic serial killer, who stages each of his crime scenes reenact one of one of the seven deadly sins. As the hunt for the killer drags out, Summerset and Mills reveal gruesome and unthinkable secrets about what they're dealing with, and we get to see how they react to and are affected by the things they discover, both professionally and personally. 

One of the things that really works for this movie, is the bleak and hopeless tone it has to it. The city is cold and dead, and the people who live there are indifferent and depressed. Living in this city seems to be just about as exciting as watching moss grow on a wall, it's a place you don't want to have your children grow up. This sad feeling is present from the very beginning, and the movie has a really cool intro that totally sets the mood with it's shifting pictures of bandaged fingertips, knifes, blood and freaky music.The only person who still has any hope for the city is David Mills, and you root the shit out of him because of his will to change things for the better. He almost takes on a batman-like role in this movie, being the only person to believe that everything isn't lost. 

Taking his inspiration from the seven deadly sins, the killer showcases something he misslikes about society with every one of them, and they all have a deeper meaning that i cant talk too much about without spoiling the ending and the main message of the film. I can however say that the finale to the movie, even though some might have seen it coming, is completely awesome and perfectly written. I was completely blown away not only by the ending, but also by the surprising twist and turns that the movie seems to take all the time. The gory crime scenes are really cool as well, and you can tell that it took a lot of time to make them all look as sadistic and unthinkable as possible. Especially the crime scene of the deadly sin "pride" blew my mind, because is was so cleverly written, and out of all the seven sins, I felt as though this was the one where the main message of the movie shone the brightest. 

Even though their characters are vastly different, the chemistry between Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt works great in this film. It's entertaining to watch their partnership evolve over the course of the movie, and by the end you really care for their characters. Freeman kills it in this movie, but what really surprised me was how good Brad Pitts was. His efforts in Se7en opened my eyes to how great an actor he actually is, and since watching this movie I've not seen him put on a bad performance. 

After i watched this movie for the first time, it left me scared and chocked, jet i knew that i had just witnessed something special. I absolutely hate horror movies because they usually are just there to scare you, take your money, and nothing more. Eery once in a while though, we come across one that says "Hey! I'm a shit-your-pant horrifying movie, but I have an interesting and captivating story to tell, whilst I make you soil your tighty-whities!", and if it does it well, it's usually fantastic movie. 

Se7en is one of those movies that i can't really say anything negative about. All I can do is bow down and praise it as the masterpiece it is. Anyone who appreciates good storytelling, suspenseful thrill rides and immensely clever mysteries, will absolutely adore this movie. Se7en is totally my kind of movie, and is without a doubt movie magic. (6/6)

Se7en IMDb page here

Se7en trailer here

Update #1 - New BluRays And My Rating System!

*Please note that as of April 2014, the rating system that I describe in this update is no longer in use. An in-depth explanation as to why this is the case can be found here.*

So, now that I've done my first few actual movie reviews, i thought I'd made an update on my thoughts so far. I've enjoyed writing the first two entries immensely, and i honestly can't wait to write the next one. Of cause these first attempts at writing reviews aren't perfect in any way, shape or form, but i hope to get much better as time goes by. Rereading and spell checking has proved to be much more time consuming than writing the actual blog, but i didn't expect it to be any other way, seeing as English isn't my first language. Apart from spell checking, i also like to spend some time searching for a nice picture and a fitting quote for each review, because i feel like it adds some professionalism to the finished product. It also took a good deal of time to figure out how to configure text fonts and text sizes, but I'm happy with how it's turned out so far.

With the boring part out of the way, id like talk a little bit about the near future of my blog. Above you'll see a picture of the newest batch of BluRays i'we bought, and i plan to review most of them at some point. Se7en will be next, but i'm not entirely sure what will came after that. Probably Memento, but it might end up being Gladiator, The Matrix or American Beauty instead. Reviews for all those movies will be up in time, thought. 

In relation to my rating system, i wanted to come up with something new. Rating a movie with stars seem a little boring and old fashioned to me. I'm still gonna rate the movies i put up for review, just a little differently. Therefore i'm gonna put the movies in to one of the six following categories, insted of grading them with stars. this way i still give an indication as to what i feel about the movie, and at the same time it won't feel as though im taking myself too seriously, acting like a proper movie critique and such. The categories are as follows: 

1. Movie Magic

- This is my hightest rating. Movies that recieve this rating will be the ones I find to be extremely entertaining and captivating, the cream of the crop. A good movie to me is one that takes you on an emotional journey, and the ones that do this flawlessly, will achieve this rating. 

2. Worth Buying on BluRay

- This one kinda speaks for it self. If a movie is so entertaining, enjoyable or funny that i wouldn't mind spending money to rewatch it, it'll get this rating. The movie won't be a firework of pure awesomeness, but still a very good time nonetheless, even if it has a few flaws. 

3. Gets My Seal of Approval

- This rating will go to movies that i find enjoyable to the point where i would recommend other people to watch it. It'll have some flaws and drawbacks, but not too many. If I stumbled upon a movie from this category while zapping through channels, I'd probably watch it. 

4. Worth the Watch

- Movies that i find to be semi decent, but then again not too good either, will get this rating. If i feel like I wasn't wasting my time watching something, this is where it goes. I probably won't watch a movie from this category again, if given the opportunity. 

5. Made me Facepalm

- This rating will be given to bad movies, movies I found to be either boring or incoherent, poorly put together and/or badly acted. A movie from this category will have a few sparks of potential or maybe even some entertaining scenes here and there, but will still be a bad movie all in all.

6. An Eyegouger

- This one speaks for itself. This is the category where the worst of the bad movies end up, movies that truly made me wanna gouge my eyes out while I was watching them. If given this rating, a movie won't have a shred of anything positive or entertaining to it, but will simply be rotten to the core. 

So there you go, my first official update. The rating system took a long time to come up with, but I'm happy with how it turned out. I look forward to begin writing my next reviews, even though the laptop I'm stuck with currently is giving me a really bad time. I'll have to replace it soon. 

/Andrew

Fight Club - A Movie Review by Andrew Lawrence

"Fuck off with your sofa units and strine green stripe patterns, I say never be complete, say stop being perfect, I say lets evolve, let the chips fall where they may."

Fight Club. When this movie was released in 1999, it was considered a boxoffice failure. It did'nt get much attention during award season as it got overshadowed by classics such as American Beauty and The Matrix. The fact that it's a dialouge heavy movie without too much action is probably why it took some time for Figh Club to get the attention it truly deserved, and as of 2013 it's one of the most popular cult classics in film history. 

The main character of the movie, played by Edward Norton, is a miserable, depressed, prone to insomia office worker. His life is a faded blur of Ikea furniture, microwaved meals and a struggle to pay bills on time. On one of his many boring business trips, he meets Tyler Durden, played by Brad Pitt, and his life almost instantly takes a turn for worse, or beter, depending on how you look at it. The two start spending time together, and thus begins one of the most awesome and interesting relationships seen in modern cinema. The journey these two set out on is deeply engrossing and fascinating, and you appreciate the chemestry these phenominal actors share from the moment they get introduced. 

The film gets it's name from a secret organisation the two form together, consisting of depressed and misserable men who meet in a damp basement to fight. Not because they want to hurt each other, but because they feel alive during those moments, as if they become real men, freed from their ties and the social barriers that lock them up during the day time. This element is vital to the message of the movie, and the fighting is more of a tool to get it across, rather than the actual main theme. The second half of the movie, the fight club starts evolving into something more, and the movie gets a revolutionary feel to it thats hard to explain without spoiling anything. The twist near the end is one of the most surprising and innovative twists i'we seen, even though the secret becomes kind of obvious once revealed. 

Fight club is very funny in a griddy way, and both Norton and Pitt deliver some hillarious lines in this movie. The humor is dry and dark, and it fits the dark tone of the movie perfectly. When it comes to the acting, both Norton and Helena Carter deliver top notch performances, but Brad Pitt completely steals the show as Tyler Durden. He's the laid back type of person who doesn't care about politics and materialism, he lives life one day at a time, and has a completely unique view on the idealistic way to live, compared to whats normal. He abselutely kills it in every single scene he's in, and it's no wonder that the chracter of Tyler Durden is as popular and well known as it is. If i had to choose one chracter from any film ever created that i could meet in real life, i'd chose Tyler Durden. He's the kind of person i would love to have a drink with, and the fact that Brad Pitt didn't win an oscar for best supporting actor, let alone got a nomination, is completely mindblowing to me. In Tyler we trust!

Most people who have not seen this movie automatically assume it's a simple guys movie about people who get in to fights. This assumption isn't false, but it's not true either. Fight club is so much more than a fighting movie. It deals with prime instincts such as fear, anger, happiness and the lust for dominance. It's about having problems creating an identity in modern society, the power of materialism and the invisible bonds it ties around us, and it questions the way people prioritize and value different aspects of life. It breaks down the way we, the people of the 21. century live our lives, and offers a completely unique view on society structure and materialism. It's clear that the director David Fincher has message he wanted to deliver with this movie, and he does a damn fine job doing just that, in my opinion.

This is the part where i normally talk about the things i didn't like about the movie that's being reviewed, but in the case of Fight Club, there simply isn't any negative things to say. Some people have complained that it's too long and too dialogue based, but to me, the dialogue is what makes the movie so good as it is, and to me the 139 minutes it lasts just seem to fly by in an instant . Other people, especially female audiences, have accused Fight Club of being too much of a guy's movie, and i kinda see how that could be true. It does focus mainly on the way modern time men live their lives and suppress their instincts working nine to five jobs, but i do know several girls who think Fight Club is one of their favourite movies, anyway. 

All in i'd say that if you enjoy dialogue based movies spiced with hilarity, twists and messages combined with great acting, you will probably dig this movie as much as i did. It's one of my personal favourites, definitely a top 5 contender. To me, Fight Club is simply movie magic (6/6).

Fight Club IMDb page here

Fight Club trailer here

Half Nelson - A Movie Review by Andrew Lawrence

"Second chances are rare, man. You ought to take better advantage of them."

Half Nelson is a movie about Dan Dunne, a school teacher played by Ryan Gosling, who teaches a class mostly consisting of black and hispanic children in an inner city school. He midnights as a party animal/drug addict, and this abuse is really weighting him down in life. Teaching is the only thing about his life that he enjoys, and seeing the faces of the young boys and girls in class is what makes him get out of bed in the morning. He's got a very distant relationship to his family, and he always seems to feel awkward when he's around them. He teaches history, and coaches for the girls' basketball team. One day one of the girls, Drey, played by Shareeka Epps, catches him smoking a joint in a bathroom, and the two strike up an unlikely friendship that becomes the main theme of the movie.

First of all, the performances by the lead actors are great. Gosling got nominated for an academy award for his portrayal of Dan Dunne, and Anthony Mackie and Shareeka Epps both did a great job as well. Anthony's character Frank, the local drug dealer, has some really funny moments, and Shareeka does an awesome job at playing a young girl who hasn't quite figured out what her purpose in life is, and as a result gets introduced to selling drugs by Frank.

The thing i find most interesting about this movie is the way Dan and Drey get to depend on each other to sort out their individual problems. The two know that they aren't capable of changing their own lives, however they can at least make an effort to help out each other. This chemistry is what made the movie enjoyable to me. At one point near the end, there is a great scene where both their worlds get merged together in what I believe to be the peak of the movie, and the way the two look at each other thinking "Yea man, life sucks!" combined with the music playing in the background just made me go "Wow, this is awesome!", because you just feel so connected to the two characters. 

Half Nelson is a sad movie to watch, because you get to see how miserable, lost and lonely some people feel. Good things never happen to any of the main characters, even the end kinda made me feel sad, even though it left me with a little hope that things might get better for the two. This sad tone is sure to scare some people off, even though it never gets depressive or boring to watch. One of the reasons why you never truly loose hope for Gosling and Epps is the great music that is playing in the background. In some way it's encouraging and at the same time sad to listen to, but all in all it sends off the message that things can always get better. It's hard to explain, but the tunes playing in the background when Gosling hits his lowest lows really are something special. 

The movie also touches on the concept of change. Dan is teaching his students about how things have changed over the cause of time and about life and what we make of it. At one point he says: "Second chances are rare, man. You ought to take better advantage of them.", and this quote really struck home with me, because the broken man speaking them knows exactly what he's talking about. All he wishes for is an opportunity to turn his life around, and he does his very best to save his students from ending up in a situation as cruel as his own. 

As good as it is, I do have a few gripes about Half Nelson. For an example, the main theme of the movie, as I described earlier, is both the main chracters' shared desire to help each other on to the right paths in life. Because of this, Dan confronts Frank, who is introducing Drey to the drug business, in an attempt to stop him from dragging her into something he knows from personal experience is really bad. Now, I don't know about you, but telling a drug lord what to do kinda sounds dangerous to me, and I half way expected Dan to get killed at this point. But it doesn't happen. In fact, nothing happens. The two walk into Franks house to discuss the matter, and the scene ends. And that's it. You don't get any hints as to what the two talked about, nothing seems to change after their talk, all it really did was making Frank look like a weak drug dealer, because he just let Dan tell him what to do. This is really what bothers me the most about the movie; the lack of authority from Franks character, and the lack of follow up on his and Dans confrontation. Franks character was well acted and funny as well, but i just feel like he was misused and could have been much better, had he been more frightening and respectable. 

All in all, i thought Half Nelson was an exiting, intriguing and well acted movie that kept me emotionally invested from start to finish. Rating the movie is really hard, but when i think about it, i have to say that i probably wouldn't pay full price to re-watch it. Therefore Half Nelson "only" gets my seal of approval. (4/6)

Half Nelson IMDb page here

Half Nelson trailer here