Hereafter: Review

For me, the release of a new film by Clint Eastwood is always an event. I have been a lifelong fan of the great man, not only as a movie star but I now regard him as one of the great American film directors, as do many others. So the news that he was tackling a supernatural drama written by Peter Morgan, the man responsible for scripts like The Queen and Frost/Nixon, my anticipation was almost on overload. Unfortunately, I now feel a little let down. This isn't the marriage made in heaven I had hoped for.

The story deals with three people, each touched by death in some way or another. George is a lonely, factory worker living in San Francisco with, as his brother says, a gift that he regards more of a curse. He can contact the dead only by touching someone. Having already dabbled in turning his talent into a business, he shunned the limelight and doesn't want to have anything to do with it, although it is still there to haunt him. In London, twin brothers Marcus and Jason live with their drug-dependant mother and are constantly protecting her from social services. When sent out to collect drugs from a chemist, Jason encounters a group of muggers and while trying to escape, is knocked down and killed. His younger brother finds it hard to deal with and so wants to try and find a way of contacting him in the afterlife. Meanwhile, French TV  journalist Marie, has a near-death experience that changes her life forever. All three need answers and their lives, while very different, are all heading in the same direction.

As with all of Eastwood's directed pieces, this looks terrific and is carefully put together. The acting, apart from one, is impeccable and you are ready to be taken along on an journey. The trouble is, Eastwood's leisurely pacing, which works so well in his other movies, somehow doesn't work here. The film starts with a very impressive bang, a tsunami in which we are taken directly into the heart of the action. That level of speed from the giant wave isn't kept going and so we amble along from one scene to the next, going at a snail's pace than a jog or even a sprint. Eastwood likes to take his time, to develop his characters and situations and this is fine for Million Dollar Baby, where we get to really emote with the characters that the shocking finale hits home even more. Here just as we start to appreciate the character from one segment, we are bounced to one of the others and so to emote with them is difficult.

Matt Damon, as the psychic George, is excellent. Nicely underplaying his role of a man who knows that he could do good but refuses to be pressured. His is one of the more interesting parts of the film, and maybe if we had stayed with one story, this would have been a far better movie. Cecile De France, as Marie, also gives a very strong performance. A woman confused by events in her life, she is very engaging. The weak link in the performances comes from twin brothers Frankie and George McLean. These two, taking the dual roles of the twin brothers, are, to be honest with you, terrible and you feel nothing for Marcus. They come across very amateurish and you wonder how they got through the casting. Surely there are better twin brothers who can act out there.

This is not a terrible movie. It has plenty of heart and compassion and doesn't treat the subject matter of the afterlife and death with any contempt. Those who are looking for a ghost story will be disappointed. It won't suit anyone wanting to be scared. If you like your movies wordy then this is for you. Unfortunately, I know that with some script editing this could have been brilliant. Instead, it's OK, which is hard for a fan of Clint Eastwood to take.