Hard As Stone: Review of Stone

stone movie review, deniro stoneSo, my favorite actor of all time is Robert DeNiro. I just love the man. Without a doubt he is one of the most dynamic actors of our time. He is versatile, emotional, funny and just pure magic to watch on the screen.

I felt quite excited to pick up Stone starring DeNiro and Edward Norton. DeNiro plays a tough as nails parole officer and Norton, a convicted felon. Makes for a good plot right? Hmmm…..not so sure. This movie centered around Norton’s character, Stone. Convicted of killing his grand parents when he was a teen, strung out on drugs….the story involves him interviewing for possible parole. With….you guessed it….DeNiro.

Stone has a nut case for a girlfriend who befriends DeNiro and tries her darndest to help her man get parole granted. The story line turns extremely weird at this point as DeNiro starts up a volatile friendship with her. Now, seeing as I adore the man, I gave it a chance. But I have to say, I was highly disappointed. Not in DeNiro, but the story itself.

The plot gives a little hints as to why DeNiro’s character; Jack, partakes in the drink, excessive praying and as to why his married life sucks. But that’s it. You get hints and no resolution. No explanation of how his life came to be the way it was. It felt as if the writer/directors were attempting an existential work of art, but didn’t really know how to make it all culminate. You are left with more questions than answers…..and I despise that in movies.

I felt as though there was huge potential with this flick; two powerhouses as the stars and all. Oh, and the wife of Stone is played by Milla Jovovich….another strong contender. Her performance was brilliant in my opinion. And as for my man, it was so so. I don’t blame him though….I blame the film’s director. I think he worked with what he had…..and played his role just as it was presented to him.

What I can say is that there were some surprises that kept me watching, so it’s definitely worth a Redbox $1.00 rental! I wouldn’t pay more than that for it though….and I also wouldn’t wait for cable. It wasn’t THAT bad. 🙂

My rating:  80%

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