Stone

STONE from 2010 is a decent De Niro flic, something that cannot be said of several De Niro older age features. Edward Norton stars opposite the two time Oscar winner giving a firestorm of a performance allowing De Niro to give of his best as well. The two actors have great chemistry and their performances in Stone is no exception. I suppose dramatic thriller implies there will be plenty of action on screen with satisfied customers galore. That's not the case with Stone. The premise and plot are a rarity in this genre of film. It's all innate and deliberate but the viewer must get seriously involved with what is going on. The film does not hand out the usual pap to consume, rather it is much more cerebral in nature. The drama is well paced in the context of its material. It's not a film that lags. In any case, I'll take a film like this over the violence and overabundance of everything poured into most contemporary features. I don't understand the fury over the denoument of Stone. Novels, plays, short stories often employ an open ended style and that is exactly what this film does. Unfortunately most viewers are unable to use their God given brain when confronted with such an ending. Everything has to be laid out perfectly and precisely as if for a child. Use your own imagination as to what might have happened to the men down the road! (Seen on DVD March 21, 2018)

It's a cliché. Definitely one to avoid.

What can I say? This movie is bogus, worthless, rotten - adjectives like these don't even seem strong enough to describe how bad it is! Don't bother wasting your time on this dud. You're better off staying home and sleeping, since nothing happens in the film anyway.

This is a strange and hard-to-understand film, at least for me. It's a weird mix of desire, manipulation, and religion. But I don't regret watching it, as I was happy to see De Niro and Ed Norton on screen together again.

I watched this movie last night in Paris - what can I say? It doesn't do Bob, the current president of the 2011 Cannes Film Festival, any favors. Milla Jovovich insists on being in movies... but she's mistaken, as her performance is almost completely empty. Basically, don't feel bad if you haven't seen this movie.

WARNING: This review is hidden because it reveals the content of the film.
Click here to show this review. This is an excellent and deeply psychological film that focuses more on the characters and the intricacies of their motivations and emotions rather than action. The main character undergoes a transformation during his time in prison. His wife believes she's supporting him in her own way, but is she truly helping? The police officer who considers himself superior to a prisoner is nearing the end of his career and remains under the spell of the physical world's illusions. This absolutely captivating film warrants multiple viewings to fully grasp its many subtle nuances.

Great movie for those who can catch the details and read between the lines!

Such negative reviews!!! It is a thinking person's movie... not an action thriller... deal with it. De Niro and Norton put in an amazing performance as they play off each other. The ending is left open ended which on the surface seems unfulfilling but it causes you to think about the movie over and over in your mind. A slice of life movie of a man who finally reveals his true self to the world and another how finds who seems to find peace... but you are not sure.

I didn't pay to see this movie and I still was disappointed. I was looking for it. Great actors on the menu but... the recipes was really bad and someone left it on the burner to... One of the worst movies of the year.

The second collaboration between Robert De Niro and Edward Norton after the satisfactory but ultimately very conventional heist movie The Score, Stone at least has the merit of offering a plot that turns out to be more complex and nebulous than it first appears. Starting out as a more or less conventional dramatic thriller pitting a jaded parole officer against a manipulative inmate who will do anything to get released, the story keeps us guessing by presenting morally and psychologically ambiguous characters whose paths remain uncertain even after the conclusion. Faced with such rich characters, Norton and DeNiro engage in a superb acting duel marked by electrifying verbal exchanges. In the equally complex role of the alluring wife of Norton's inmate character, Milla Jovovich delivers a delightfully playful and nuanced performance that surprises. With its slow pace, contemplative cinematography, and editing that leaves ample room for the characters, the film is aimed primarily at fans of intimate dramas that require a good deal of reflection. By daring to have an ending as deliberately ambiguous as its characters, those who don't appreciate open endings will inevitably be frustrated by not having all the answers to their questions; to that I would respond that Stone is the kind of film that likely benefits from being watched more than once, making it one of the most interesting films of 2010 for me, no less. One for seasoned viewers...

It was BooorrriiinnnG. I couldn't last beyond the first hour and had to leave. What a let down knowing how great De Niro and Norton usually are. I agree with the other reviews and rating it a 4 is kind of generous.

I really wanted to enjoy seeing De Niro and Norton teamed up again but this movie was so slow and near pointless that I lost all interest. The last twenty minutes saw a few people leave the theatre and I was barely hanging on myself. The story never materialized into something worth feeling for one way or another. This movie is not worth your time unless perhaps you get to watch it for free and have some time to waste.