Tyrone Power really fits in the role for this character, capable of looking derelict and beatdown but just as easily looking smooth, calm, and at the top of the world. He “can’t understand how anybody could get so low” is quote from his character early on and both he and the audience are set on a journey to find out. Carnivals make a wonderful backdrop for a variety of stories from people on the brink of desperation to those on the margins of society to others with grandiose ideas of becoming something bigger. Though only 1/3rd of the female supporting role, Joan Blondell is always worth watching. I’m surprised that Guillermo del Toro has adapted the story. Despite the presence of Bradley Cooper leading an otherwise impressive cast, I am intrigued.

I haven’t seen a whole lot of them, but I do love Space Age era science fiction stories that don’t hold up in any way, shape, or form in modern times (or maybe even in any times). This one particularly gets many points for the special effects and playing with different set ratios. I wish they had done even more with those when the main character first started shrinking. It did drag a bit in the end, especially as the man made a few too many Too Dumb To Live decisions, but what do I know I’ve never shrunk to the size of a thimble. My teeny tiny brain might not work as well then either.

As a window into the atrocities that have been occurring at Guantanamo, this movie does its job well and it’s an important job. Other than that, it’s a tad boring and takes too long getting through the details it wants to convey. Jodie Foster is as good as expected; I particularly enjoy watching her in her older roles. Sadly I have a hard time not seeing Shailene Woodley as a teenager and her role here just feels like a bit of filler. Tahar Rahim does an incredible job and is believable through all the emotions from being kidnapped and tortured to small moments of hope and understandable cynicism.

Looking up the title of this movie, I’ve seen it categorized as romance and psychological thriller. Do not trust the categorizing of movies on popular websites: lesson learned. Jude Law is pretty much the same as he always is; Carrie Coons is unrecognizable at first, which means she is also pretty much the same as she always is. The acting is actually pretty good, but the movie takes an hour to even reach the point that the audience had seen coming from the beginning: a man determined that he deserves great things, lives beyond his means to the detriment of his family. A story that has been done many times before and here it isn’t done in any new ways.