As parole officer Jack Mabry (De Niro) counts the days toward a quiet retirement, he is asked to review the case of Gerald "Stone" Creeson (Norton), in prison for covering up the murder of his grandparents with a fire. Now eligible for early release, Stone needs to convince Jack he has reformed, but his attempts to influence the older man's decision have profound and unexpected effects on them both. Stone skillfully weaves together the parallel journeys of two men grappling with dark impulses, as the line between lawman and lawbreaker becomes precariously thin. Set against the quiet desperation of an economically ravaged community and the stifling brutality of a maximum security prison, this tale of passion, betrayal and corruption examines the fractured lives of two volatile men breaking from their troubled pasts to face uncertain futures.This movie had two phenomenal actors in it (with a truly horrible actress). It had a pretty simple storyline. It could have been a decent watch. Unfortunately, the director fell in love with really lame single camera dramatic shots where we are shown a ton of deep in thought shots of the characters. I'm guessing we were supposed to be really deeply involved in what they were thinking and what not. I wasn't. I couldn't have cared less about any of these characters. There was no hook whatsoever. And this made the overdramatic camera work beyond annoying.
I wouldn't really recommend anyone bothering to see this. I felt like I pretty much wasted away 2 hours of my life that I can never get back.
