Harrowing, tragic, exciting (From Western Telegraph)

Harrowing, tragic, exciting

21 Grams Directed by Gonzlez Irritu Starring Sean Penn, Naomi Watts, Benicio Del Toro, Charlotte Gainsbourg and Melissa Leo. Dur. 124 mins Cert. 15

21 Grams comes from the hit director Alejandro Gonzlez Irritu, and the screenwriter Guillermo Arriaga. It's a simple tale in many ways.

You simply take three different people, with very different problems in their three very different lives and you find a way to make them collide. You conjure one random event that changes their lives and brings them together at that same moment to see what cocktail of new life comes from it.

The fact that the moment around, which such films pivot is random, an act of chance, can sometimes make it feel like an 'only in the movies' moment. But it's not those events that are at fault in these movies.

In fact every day, in each of our lives, we experience one of these moments. Some are more dramatic than others. I recently sat next to my favourite writer on a plane. Same day, same plane - just happened to be sitting next to each other, got talking - turns out we also have a friend in common. That's a happy chance. Many such moments of path crossing that are more identifiable as being important are bad.

In 21 Grams a tragic accident brings together three incredibly well drawn and perfectly played people. Sean Penn plays Paul Rivers, a mathematics professor, who is trapped in a loveless marriage, and who is rather untrustworthy as a consequence. His performance is pretty perfect and would normally steal the film, if everyone and everything around him were not up to his standard.

Benicio Del Toro plays Jack Jordan, ex convict, and ex con-man, who has found faith. Born again, with Jesus as his personal saviour, he is annoying his family, who don't share his simplistic faith. Lastly there's Naomi Watts playing Cristina Peck, a seemingly perfect mother of two from the suburbs. But her cosy life is a prison and disguises her past of cocaine abuse.

The story is all over the place, but you will be gripped throughout. It is at times harrowing, tragic, exciting and inspiring.

It's not too often that such intelligent film-making comes to the mainstream attention. I urge you to try and see 21 Grams because you will become a statistic. Your ticket will make such film-making more likely not just in the states but here too.

Also released... Well, it's not worth telling you really, but there's a movie called Uptown Girls about spoilt sibling girls who fall on hard times, starring Brittany Murphy and Dakota Fanning.

It's meant to be funny and I wonder if it will only appeal to spoilt little girls.