On the one hand, this movie was made with stylistic and occasionally powerful cinematography and on the other…the poor storytelling of the movie undermined these qualities to the point where the movie seemed self-indulgent and difficult to follow. I understand the need to have the viewer as confused and enthralled as the character but even the resolution was confusing and drawn out. There were numerous plot holes and some scenes often seemed to have little emotive backbone.

For instance, Bleichart’s obsession with the case wasn’t revealed until that “haunting” image in the end. In fact, he seemed largely unaffected by the actual victim until that moment (his “sick” motives for sleeping with the look-a-like was conveyed poorly with Scarlett Johansson calling him “sick” because Swank “supposedly” looked just like the victim).

There needs to be more than pretty pictures to make a movie. This is an adaptation of a book. I wasn’t in the there when they butchered the film or whether the cutting room floor is still being swept to this day of stray scenes that would’ve helped tell the story better but as a final product this movie butchered a great story. This movie can be remade into an enthralling, stylish (artsy even) plot-twisting yet coherent film as entertaining and visually stimulating as say…L.A. Confidential.