Boy, what a bizarre movie. I went in knowing virtually nothing about the premise and, halfway through, was still uncertain as to why director Kathryn Bigelow even decided to make this movie in the first place. But, after the second of the two tales, I realized what the point was and liked the movie substantially.

      There are two stories in this film. The first is set in 1873, where two Norwegian immigrant women are found butchered with an ax. A man named Wayner (Ciarin Hinds) is the prime suspect and a woman named Maren (Sarah Polley) is the only witness. There is much more to the first tale, but that is the jist of it. The second story takes place on a yacht in modern day surroundings. Two brothers (Sean Penn and Josh Lucas) rent the vote for a break from their surroundings. Guests include Penn's wife Mary McCormack, a famous photographer who is working on a book about the famous crimes witnessed in the first tale. Elizabeth Hurley stars as Lucas' girlfriend.

      Tension builds on the boat as we learn that Penn is jealous of his brother and has a secret obsession with his girlfriend. There are numerous parallels between both stories, which is why the ending makes the whole of the film much more satisfying.

      I did however feel a little cheated with the whole thing. I thought the second story was wholly more interesting and also thought the film would have turned out better with just glimpses and flashbacks of the first tale instead of an entire segment. Alas, Kathryn Bigelow (former wife to James Cameron) must have had what she wanted in mind.

      Most of this film works well together, though there are a few parts that tend to become a little bogged down and boring. Mary McCormack (in an Oscar worthy performance) is marvelous in a very commanding role, and Sean Penn (as always) is likable and pitch perfect. And it was nice to see Elizabeth Hurley stretch her acting skills and not rely solely on her beautiful body and appearance to get her through a picture. Oh yes--when is Sarah Polley not fantastic? The entire cast gets kudos for their work in this film, and

      Kathryn Bigelow just keeps on trying her approaches with her filmmaking. Remember her first film--"Near Dark". That was a horror masterpiece. Alas, while this film is not a masterpiece, it does manage to entertain and educate. Sometimes that is just what a viewer needs.