Allen Salkin

The film slowly, slowly blossoms into an emotional wildflower by the end, leaving us with a scene that is kind of spontaneous road baptism, an unsure note of spiritual birth.

The movie is pretty good.

There will be movie-goers who enjoy the misery of it all. They may even laugh. I couldn't.

For all of its effort to make an important point about the unseen casualties of war, Man Down is a taxing exercise for the viewer.

An international action thriller that starts slow but picks up speed and just outruns its own clichés to make for a gripping two-hour ride.

The stylish and engrossing reinterpretation of the mythological king's early years lacks character development, but makes up for it with swashbuckling, sword-fighting, beast-slaying fun.

Everything is perfectly entertaining. Too perfectly.

In the movie version of Wilson, starring Woody Harrelson, no one flies or turns into a centaur. But quiet magic happens nonetheless.

At a certain point, the film gains atmosphere and is rescued by the sincerity and sweetness of the young actors. Better, the plot finally hits a groove in the final quarter, and a soaring soundtrack twangs the right emotional notes.

Turning McConaughey into a wreck through makeup and lighting is not an adequate substitute for character development. But it underscores something that the film gets right — the fact that underneath many pretty surfaces is ugliness.