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Feb 17, 2013BertBailey rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
One particularly violent and cruel scene calls for warning about extreme violence in this flick. And it makes one wonder if it's justified. The gritty plot is very intense and certainly gripping. The director shies from overtly calling for sympathy, but has he gone too far in that direction? Only one speech by the protagonist, very near the end, tells us clearly about his tortured mental state ....and, then, it may just be too explicit! Previous moments - the way he glances at kids, how he pursues one woman - did enough hinting, although the silhouetted boxing was a bit elusive. In sum: artists do have to juggle very fine balances between overtness and concealment (or having the story do all the telling), and this flick intrigues in that it teeters on that edge. Left me wondering.