When I set down to watch this movie. I had know idea I would come out of the theatre just mesmerized. This movie was Christian Bale at his best. When has he not done better than mediocre work. The film is truly breathtaking and needs to be wached twice to really grasp what is going on.The character development may be a little slow , but Bale carries the weight throught the entire film. The best film of 2004!