[Heckalaska]

This movie is a great example of a well written, well acted piece with every actor playing to type. None of the big 3 (Hackman, Eastwood, Freeman) pull of anything different than they've accomplished previously. If anything, they've taken rolls that they're seemingly most comfortable in and we, the audience, are comfortable seeing them in. Which could be a lesson to some actors. They're all at the top of their game and it clearly shows. Can you imagine any other three actors in these rolls? I mean, it's effortless and would have been a "good" movie if they'd sleep-walked their way through it. But the writing brought this film up to a higher level than I think anybody expected.

It didn't stray all that far from Eastwood's classic westerns with the exception of him playing down his role somewhat and playing to his elderly status (which was fairly bold). Yet it has that special something that sets it miles above the spaghetti westerns and the Dirty Harry movies.

There's something about the "evil" anti-hero that is just so entertaining to watch. With so little dialogue, every word Clint uttered carried a shitload of weight.

The only thing that detracted (albeit marginally slight) from this movie for me was Eastwood's borderline fetish in casting yet another Sandra Locke look-alike who can't act. I guess he has a thing for pale skinned, long haired blonds with weak skills?...