I did not mean to cut down Caan or Hopkins. Hopkins is a gifted actor; he is just not a profound delineator of character in his performance as Hannibal Lecter. Caan is an actor who inspires confidence. He knows what he's doing. He's good. His talent is to convey strength and firmness, not nuance, that's all. This is not to denigrate Caan or Hopkins, but to show that a good performance, especially as a glorified thug, does not require supreme subtlety, and while Cruise's performances may seem simple, they're often extremely good, and he has the energy and presence to play Vincent in Collateral. So I don't agree with arsaib4: the "high-def DV" does cover up other weaknesses, if there be weaknesses, and I personally don't see such deep flaws in a script whose execution is consistently so elegant and fresh looking. Nothing feels tired about this movie.

Yes, I'm back. BUt I've had a post-plane trip virus, and I've only begun to write reviews of the movies I saw. You'll find the first one here: http://www.chrisknipp.com/writing/viewtopic.php?t=353.

Welcome to mikevan