oliabroad Amazing that in 2000 Ben can take over a role in this trash-movie - plot completely predictable, easy, cheap, annoyingly two-bit - just: DON'T WATCH!!!! The flix starts poor and gets poorer the longer it last... The characters do not become more sophisticated - they just burn the last bits when it comes to the end. You can guess the budget to about 20.000,-$ - the whole time you wonder, if anything will come around the corner, if it turns into a funny movie, into a morality turn, into something that matters - it will not - trust your instinct and just turn it off! The more I think of it, the more I must rate it a 2!

SnoopyStyle Rudy Duncan (Ben Affleck) is doing 6 years for grand theft auto. He and his cell mate Nick (James Frain) are closing in on parole in a few days. A new arrival in prison thinks Rudy rat him out. Before he could get Rudy, he kills Nick instead. When Rudy gets out, he decides to impersonate Nick to get with his romantic pen pal Ashley (Charlize Theron) who Nick talks incessantly about. Then her brother Gabriel (Gary Sinise) forces him into the gang to rob a casino.This is closing in on the end of director John Frankenheimer's career. He just doesn't have it anymore. Time has passed him by. The movie drags along for the longest time. It's extremely tiring to see boyish Ben trying real hard to look like a hardened ex-con. All the close up camera work is some kind of desperate attempt at artistic flare. The fact is that I am annoyed by Affleck in this movie and couldn't care less about the character.The movie was within salvageable range with the gun fight action. The loud bangs could have drowned out the movie's troubles. Then it goes completely off the rails with an unreasonable twist. There isn't any point to anything by then. It becomes a giant mess.

LeonLouisRicci This Movie could be used as Exhibit A in the Case, Ben Affleck accused of impersonating an A-List Actor. He is at His best when he does not distract. In this one he almost single handedly destroys what is already a Film struggling to maintain any credibility.It is unsure of itself and too much emphasis is put on things that are boring, or unnecessary and not enough on those that should be definitive in a Witty Action Thriller. The early Love Scenes are unconvincing, as is the Plot of misidentification and nothing seems plausible as the Setup begins to unfold.This is not the Director's worst Movie, for that see (or don't) The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996). Highly removed from His best work, this is watchable, but the cleverness is clunky and there are too many things that just don't flow. It hiccups its way through a twist or two or three or too many to count, but it is all for not as things just don't add up and the ride getting there is hardly worth it.

kenjha Upon release from prison, a man assumes the identity of his dead cell mate so that he can hook up with his hot pen pal. This film produces a high quotient of groans and rolling of the eyes. It starts with a ridiculous premise and then ratchets the narrative to preposterous levels with stupid plot twists on top of twists that make no sense. Frankenheimer made some terrific films in the 1960s, but his career has gone downhill from there. His action scenes are clumsily executed and he overuses closeups and tilted camera angles. Affleck is rather bland as the hapless hero. Sinise overacts as a sinister criminal. Theron looks nice.