As another commenter stated, she just doesn't have it. Once again, Perry tries to force her to be better than she is, and once again, he/she comes up short. The weak: The exception to the superb acting cast would be Janet Jackson. I don't know if it was pulled off to a tee, which I will mention later, but I found the poems brilliantly written and delivered and the concept of documenting intertwining lives interesting. Thandie Newton and Kerry Washingtong both did respectable jobs as did Whoopi Goldberg and the younger cast member whose name escapes me.

Perry will get props here for choosing a wonderfully-talented cast to pull off a challenging piece of art. Rashad, Elise, Devine, and Rose brought Oscar-worthy performances. The strong: SUPERB acting, from most involved. Both films try to take you to a place you've never seen on film, a place you didn't even think film would go ie murdered kids and graphic tales of molestation. I left the theater feeling I did when I saw 'Precious': glad I saw the film, recognizing it was a special piece of work, but ambivalent about the over-the-top darkness that resonated in the film. But as it stands, I enjoyed it.at least to the point you can enjoy such a heavy piece of work. Perhaps had I seen the play or read more about the concept of the work, my opinion would be better or worse. Be prepared to have a mix of feelings by the end.I had very little background on this film before I saw it. Is there a message underneath it all? It's never said out loud, but I think it is just that in this spy business, everybody taking part - sooner or later, right side or wrong side - loses.

Following the twists and turns is not meant to be easy, I think, but the scenes connect seamlessly and flow beautifully. But they are all excellent and the dialog is impressively realistic, constantly engaging. The two stars Pine and Newton virtually carry the whole movie, with a bit of help from veterans Laurence Fishburne and Jonathan Pryce in supporting roles. If you think this is boring - here, have a lollipop. (There is one gunshot.) This is grittier, realer, and tenser. Here's a spoiler for free: there's not a SINGLE car chase, fight, or explosion.

Chris Pine and Thandiwe Newton play now-retired intelligence officers tasked with getting to the bottom of an 8-year-old unsolved mystery: what went wrong with the way their agency dealt with the infamous Flight 127 in Vienna, taken over and destroyed by terrorists? Was there a mole among them, and who? The story gets laid out for us in flashbacks and replays of their memories (and sometimes flashbacks within the flashbacks), bit by bit. All the Old Knives is spookily close to a modern version of that. Sylistically the daddy of all of these is The Spy Who Came In From the Cold (1965, starring Richard Burton and Claire Bloom). Much rarer and ultimately more interesting. (Or words to that effect - I had trouble finding the exact quote.) So then we have the second category: the John LeCarre camp. But the generic problem with those was nicely nailed by that very wise writer Ursula Le Guin: if the only thing going on is unceasing physical action, that's a sure sign no story is being told. These efforts can be extremely well done and give you a great thrill ride and if that's what you want, there's no lack of choices out there. The first and by far the most numerous is the James Bond path: fill the screen with action and when in doubt, add in more car chases, hand-to-hand fights, and explosions. Spy thrillers on the screen seem to fall into two categories. The rest of what I have to say about it just fills in details. Bottom line is that All the Old Knives is a really fine and absorbing movie.

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