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What stands out first about Before the Devil Knows You're Dead is the confidence with which Sidney Lumet establishes its thriller identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Before the Devil Knows You're Dead asks Philip Seymour Hoffman and Ethan Hawke to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Before the Devil Knows You're Dead is established with useful clarity: When two brothers organize the robbery of their parents' jewelry store the job goes horri

What stands out first about The Orphanage is the confidence with which J.A. Bayona establishes its horror film identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, The Orphanage asks Belén Rueda and Fernando Cayo to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of The Orphanage is established with useful clarity: A woman brings her family back to her childhood home, which used to be an orphanage for handicapped children. That direct approach lets The Orphanage use its 1

What stands out first about The Condemned is the confidence with which Scott Wiper establishes its action film identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, The Condemned asks Steve Austin and Vinnie Jones to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of The Condemned is established with useful clarity: Jack Conrad is awaiting the death penalty in a corrupt Central American prison. That direct approach lets The Condemned use its 1h 53m running time for charact

What stands out first about I Know Who Killed Me is the confidence with which Chris Sivertson establishes its horror film identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, I Know Who Killed Me asks Lindsay Lohan and Julia Ormond to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of I Know Who Killed Me is established with useful clarity: A young woman who was missing reappears, but she claims to be someone else entirely. That direct approach lets I Know Who Killed Me u

What stands out first about Martian Child is the confidence with which Menno Meyjes establishes its comedy identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Martian Child asks John Cusack and Amanda Peet to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Martian Child is established with useful clarity: A widowed science fiction writer considers adopting a six year old outcast who thinks he's an alien from Mars. That direct approach lets Martian Child use its 1h 46m

What stands out first about Delta Farce is the confidence with which C.B. Harding establishes its comedy identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Delta Farce asks Larry the Cable Guy and Bill Engvall to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Delta Farce is established with useful clarity: Three bumbling Army reservists bound for Iraq are accidentally dropped at Mexican village besieged by hostile forces. That direct approach lets Delta Farce use it

What stands out first about Code Name: The Cleaner is the confidence with which Les Mayfield establishes its comedy identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Code Name: The Cleaner asks Cedric The Entertainer and Lucy Liu to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Code Name: The Cleaner is established with useful clarity: An amnesiac wakes up in a hotel room next to a dead FBI agent and $250,000. That direct approach lets Code Name: The Cleaner use i

What stands out first about Death at a Funeral is the confidence with which Frank Oz establishes its comedy identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Death at a Funeral asks Matthew Macfadyen and Peter Dinklage to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Death at a Funeral is established with useful clarity: Chaos ensues when a man tries to expose a dark secret regarding a recently deceased patriarch of a dysfunctional British family. That direct appr

What stands out first about The Seeker: The Dark Is Rising is the confidence with which David L. Cunningham establishes its thriller identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, The Seeker: The Dark Is Rising asks Alexander Ludwig and Ian McShane to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of The Seeker: The Dark Is Rising is established with useful clarity: A boy's life is turned upside down when he learns that he is the last of a group of immortal warrior

What stands out first about A Mighty Heart is the confidence with which Michael Winterbottom establishes its thriller identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, A Mighty Heart asks Angelina Jolie and Dan Futterman to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of A Mighty Heart is established with useful clarity: Mariane Pearl embarks on a frantic search to locate her journalist husband Daniel when he goes missing in Pakistan. That direct approach lets A Mig

What stands out first about The Visitor is the confidence with which Tom McCarthy establishes its drama identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, The Visitor asks Richard Jenkins and Haaz Sleiman to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of The Visitor is established with useful clarity: A college professor travels to New York City to attend a conference and finds a young couple living in his apartment. That direct approach lets The Visitor use its 1h

What stands out first about Death Sentence is the confidence with which James Wan establishes its action film identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Death Sentence asks Kevin Bacon and John Goodman to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Death Sentence is established with useful clarity: Nick Hume is a mild mannered executive with a perfect life, until one gruesome night he witnesses something that changes him forever. That direct approach lets