**I was deeply disturbed by the never-ending violence in it and thought to myself, "what's the difference between this and some Schwarzenegger movie??" **
Wow Lindsay, are you kidding? The major differences would be: Top drawer acting, particularly by Paul Newman whose performance haunts me still. (Shoo-in for an oscar, just you wait) Perhaps Hanks' best performance since "Nothing In Common". Then there's Conrad Hall's cinematography (another Oscar no-brainer). You won't see that kind of camera work in anything AH-nold has ever done. Then there's the script & the story. But I understand why you feel that way I suppose about the violence. I don't think Mendes uses it in a gratuitous way any more than he uses nudity in a gratuitous way in "American Beauty". You have to understand the business these guys are in. The reasons for their fears and sense of urgency. Anyway, I'm not trying to MAKE you say you liked it, just saying that I thought it was pretty incredible, only bettered thie year so far by "Y Tu Mama Tambien" Bob NP: Beth Orton/Ryan Adams, "Concrete Sky"
