It's been a long time since Robert De Niro was truly great in anything. Years of shoddy 'comedies' like the Meet The Parents series, Analyze This/That and not forgetting Showtime have made the kind of impact he had in films like Godfather Part II, The Deer Hunter, Goodfellas and Raging Bull a thing of the past.
But, I had heard quite a lot of good things about Stone, so decided to check it out, and was pleasantly surprised...
Stone, obviously never touches those heights but it does contain De Niro's best performance since (and I had to consult IMDB on this) Cop Land. And that was in 1997!
De Niro plays Jack Mabry, a parole officer only a few months away from retirement. Wanting to finish up his current cases he comes across Gerald Creeson, or 'Stone' (Edward Norton) who desperately wants to get out to be with his wife Lucetta (Milla Jovovich) and will try anything to make that happen, including having Lucetta contact Jack out of office hours...
It's extremely surprising to me that this film never made it into the cinemas. Tense, brilliantly acted and with so much more to it than the plot suggests (e.g. the very strained relationship between Jack and his wife Madylyn, played by Frances Conroy) and the characters are so layered - the aforementioned marital troubles of Jack and Madylyn, Stone finding religion and it taking him off the path from being released, even Jovovich impresses as the spoilt 'alien' Lucetta. It's a great film.
Religion is a constant theme in the whole film. Stone finding religion whilst looking for something to believe in that may aid an early release, the radio in Jack's car blasting relevant bible discussions, and Madylyn's readings at the dinner table, it hangs over the film. The Mabry's, devout Christians, and the doubt setting in about it all with Jack, Stone being susceptible to religion, and Lucetta just not believing in anything, it all adds so much more to their characters.
I could imagine a film like this turning into a crazy, explosion riddled thriller, with paper thin characters and a predictable ending, but this is so much more than that and is highly recommended.
****
A film that will keep you hooked AND make you think, and a return to form (at long last) for Robert De Niro, who along with the rest of the principle cast are all fantastic. Check it out.
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