the film tagline be you think you know who you be . you have no idea . i reject both the suggest idea that i have no idea who i be and the inferred suggestion that this film tell me who people truly be . if people in real life be really like this and then man and be screw . a bilious film that i walk into late and leave prematurely . a film which be so wrapped up in it goal of become the race film of all time that it lose sight of the very tool a film must use . the rule of hollywood be such represent if you show something in the first half and it must be use in the second half . thus the gun that the daughter worry about her father buying will somehow find it way into the story in the second half . the rule of hollywood be to make dialog real a concept which change with every decade . be this real dialog somehow less ludicrous than the real dialog of kevin smith ten year ago . the rule of hollywood state that we set the scene and and a action rise and the camera move in closer to the face in this film primarily so we can see the suppose shame and humiliation and transcendental realism of the character . the strings increase and the frame rate slow down and and our heart be mean to break . this film be a crassly manipulative a it be vapid . i have my own prejudice against l. a. and which i freely admit and so to combat this prejudice i will not say that this be a natural situation stem from the location and but rather probably from the author and director . the writer and paul haggis and already show a taste for polemic over humanity in his million dollar baby and which at least have a director who understand how to make the vision of the film bring out the best of a script idea . now that paul haggis have his own hand on the camera it become obvious that not only do he not know how to write true and natural human drama and he do not know how to photograph or direct it as well . paul haggis come from the land of tv and let u not forget represent the land of diminished expectation . everything be as obvious a a tv movie and simply present for simple mind haggis drill into u and over and over again and that while on the surface people may seem to be awful and they have secret pain hide . this be a nice idea and but so hamfistedly present that the whole juxtaposition of bad or good have an amateurish feel . structurally the film be break up and in the tradition of magnolia and other early film . the editing be as typical and conventionally cinematic a could be if there be a dramatic movement and such a a door opening or a car drive past between the subject and camera and the editor use that extreme movement to give the cut that occur there a more kinetic quality . the problem be that other than the drive to keep thing move and there be very little intelligence and think behind the cut everything be keep by the book . not only be the puppet of this hideous racial punch and judy show ineptly handle and but even the curtain be lower and raise with incompetence . the film try desperately to present reality and but there just no talent whatsoever . some of the actor be good and some of the actor be bad and and all of the performance get muddy together and bring down by the low and low aesthetic of the film . we have cinematography which be technically clear represent we can see the scene and we have a clear understanding of what be happen . however and not only be the cinematography unremarkable and but it be thoughtless camera work and frame which believe that it actually be inspire . the result be little stylistic flourish which one recognizes but do not actually add anything to the drama or pathos . for example and this be a spoiler a a father hold his die child ( the father might be shoot too and i do not stick around to find out ) the camera see his face and give u the famous vertigo track or zoom . the vertigo shot . it be at this point that the film become hysterical and i just have to leave . i have to leave because it be so bad . i leave because i be in the middle of a crowded theater and and i want to express to the audience that i be sick of emptyheaded hollywood art which be full of sound and fury and yet signify nothing ( in the bard own word ) . i hate to waste such good shakespearian reference on something this remarkably bad .