60-second cinema

7 out of 10 The first hour or so of this oil-prospecting drama was truly excellent. It had me feeling involved from the get-go and felt like a thoroughly rounded film. As for what followed... well, it was a fitful experience. Perhaps that was the intent, reflecting the break-down of the lead character and a questioning of the sense of direction both in the story and in the lead's life. Thing is, this break-down seemed to go on forever. Surely when you do this kind of thing with a film, each turn of events has to represent something new? Here, however, each subplot (not the right word at all) was simply another example of how things were turning to shit, despite increasing commercial success. It wasn't filling in another piece of the jigsaw — it was placing the same piece over and over again. I lost any ability to sense, or even care that much about, where the film was going. Despite this disjointed feel to the plot, there's still plenty to recommend the film. The act...

6 out of 10 Ambitious and ruthless oil man pursues his goal to succeed, while hoping that others fail. His only redeeming feature, as far as I am concerned, is that he is a non-believer. His endeavours and cunning bring him wealth, but ultimately he is alone.