Mini-Review: It is a pity that the director of this film seemed to grasp neither the characters of the novel, nor the milieu in which they dwelled, nor the intentions of the author. Almost every gesture of the performers, whether large or small, sounded a false note, and one utterly incongruent with Roth's fine book. The fault, however, does not lie with the actors, nor even with the script, but overwhelmingly with the director, who compounded error upon error. The result is both frustrating and tedious.

Mini-Review: Effective demonstration of the scapegoating that followed the Abu Ghraib scandal, as well as of the generalized craziness in relation to torture that has reigned in the wake of the September 11 attacks. Some cinematic techniques are used very well for expository and explanatory purposes.