 |
 |
| Release Date: | |
| Runtime: | 94 min |
| Rated: | PG-13 |
| Genres: | Crime, Drama |
| Directed by: | Billy Ray |
| Written by: | Buzz Bissinger, Billy Ray |
| Starring: | Hayden Christensen, Peter Sarsgaard, Chloë Sevigny, Rosario Dawson, Melanie Lynskey, Hank Azaria, Steve Zahn |
|
 |
 I’ve had the independent film Shattered Glass sitting on my DVR for about 3 weeks and it finally took a nudge from fellow Movie Compound admin, Ragen, for me to finally sit down and watch it. The reason I haven’t watched it until now was the fact that Hayden Christensen was in it. That guy really throws me off. I mean, he’s played a whiney sissy in everything from the Star Wars prequels to the quaint family drama Life as a House. So, I knew if he was a lead in this film, it was going to be a stretch. Well, in the end I wasn’t shocked that he was indeed a whimpering geek in this movie as well, but more that he fit the character just as he did when he played the pouting Anakin Skywalker.
Shattered Glass is the true story of a young hotshot reporter of the New Republic named Stephen Glass who at the end of the 90’s was caught fabricating dozens of articles and information for the magazine. This movie takes the story and adds its own dramatic spin creating a rift between characters that leaves you to wondering throughout the whole thing if Glass was really a bad guy or not?
The movie has a really talented cast of well-known supporters like Hank Azaria, Steve Zahn, Rosario Dawson, and Chloë Sevigny. Hayden Christensen might be the centerpiece character of the movie but Peter Sarsgaard plays the hero in the film. We have a brilliant performance by Sarrgaard here as New Republic’s fledgling editor who has to bring Glass down despite his popularity among the staff. He has notably some of the best lines in the film and the chemistry between him and Christensen sometimes gives you chills of the realism.
I was very impressed with this movie not only by its historical accuracy and performances but also by its cold hard reality. Hayden Christensen plays a perfectly pathological liar and sociopath. You want to relate with him throughout the film and cringe when his world topples on top of him. The movie is straight to the point and doesn’t leave anything to the imagination and that’s not a bad thing. Director Billy Ray placed the movie directly in context with what it was, a true story depiction. |
|
|
|
|
Boat
Back to top