Knowing

Knowing is one of the best, most gripping, suspenseful and unusual films I have seen. The pace and style with which the story unfolds reminded me of Hitchcock at his best. Very few critics agree with me on this - notably the ones that do agree are the real veterans of the industry whom I most admire, such as Ebert and Stratton. I believe the negative criticism that we are seeing for this movie says not so much about the merits of Knowing, but of the dross that we have come to expect and accept at the box office. Sure, the story is preposterous but the whole point of this type of movie is to get us to suspend belief and convince us, at least for the duration of the movie, that what we are seeing, however far fetched, could actually happen. Knowing does this in spades. It takes its time to tell a story, build suspense and does not just careen from one action sequence to the next. I suspect that this is what the negative critics are missing. We have become accustomed to the thriller as virtual funpark ride - all action and no time for contemplation. Others are down on Nicolas Cage's performance. Sure he's morose, but that is what the character calls for. Is there any suggestion that he is unconvincing? - no. Those who claim that he has limited range have short memories and have clearly forgotten Wild At Heart, Leaving Las Vegas and Con Air. Never mind, I'm here to remind them. I understand that many of the Sci-Fi classics were poorly received when they first appeared, including 2001 and Bladerunner. So I believe it will be with Knowing - destined to become a classic.