This early part of this film was slow and boring. Nicolas Cage's acting was a little stiff, but to be completely fair he didn't have a whole lot to work with. All that kept the film going was a tension of mystery, knowing that something freaky was going to happen later. The film picked up when Joaquin Pheonix entered the picture with a character who was funny and interesting. The tempo increased throughout the middle and questions started popping up everywhere. The obvious question is whether or not the girl in the film lived or died, but a more interesting question is, how did she live or die? Under what freaky circumstances were this film made? Furthermore, who is watching Tom Welles? What will Welles do next? He seems to totter on the (increasingly fuzzy) boundary between good and evil. In the second half of this film, Nicolas Cage's acting is excellent, the characters come to life, and the story really draws you in. There are a few surprise twists, but not too many like in some films which will remain unnamed ([cough] Wild Things [cough]). The big disappointment, however, is the very end of the movie. You're waiting for some big surprise finale, but in fact it just kind of fizzles out.

I found many of the shots in this film to be provocative. They were often dark, conveying Welles's degeneration, framed to increase the mystery and tension in the film. I also liked the music. I wouldn't advise anyone to go out and buy the soundtrack, but the often hypnotic (Indian?) melodies were used well to enhance various events and emotions in the film and contributed an exotic air to the already shadowy and freaky story. The only music other than the Indian stuff was used toward the end, a kind of angry, metallic sound that added an edge right where it was needed. I don't think the music in this film could have been used better.

Other than the slow start and disappointing end, I did have a few other problems with this film. Joaquin Pheonix's character is cute at first, but his rebel-musician-eager-to-play-detective character gets tired after a while. Catherine Keener as Welles's wife is flat and unconvincing. Welles calls her and tells her to take their baby and run away to some vacation house and meets them there all bloody, and the first thing she can do is yell at him for not calling and threaten to leave him. Isn't it obvious that something a little bigger than her husband forgetting to call is going on? Gandolfini and Stormare are stock bad guys. There are also some other unconvincing moments that I won't discuss because it would give away the plot.

Despite all of its problems, this is a decent film; I think that Schumacher and the cast did what they could with a bad plot. If you can sit through the beginning, you'll probably enjoy the rest. This is not a film for the squeamish (or prudish), but other than that it's an entertaining movie to rent.