Like almost all assassination plots, this film has a fatal flaw. The
movie's arduous, even repetitive efforts to paint Sean Penn's
character--a failed salesman, husband and would-be assassin--as a loser
undermines any broader significance to the man's actions. It's an
unavoidable question/conclusion: what reason is there to question the
system if the only one driven to challenge it is someone congenitally
unable to function within its domain? Are all activists, murderous or
otherwise, simply those who can't get along? That is the unexpected
train of thought that grows out of this film. Penn's performance is
typically fine, but there isn't much of interest--apart from the violent
denouement--once his character is established. A noble, but large,
failure.
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