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Seven Names. Seven
Strangers. One Secret.
Will Smith soars in this admittedly
manipulative film that sometimes strains the
limits of believability -- and it is that
performance that elevates "Seven Pounds"
beyond its rightful position.
Smith has always
been a fabulous movie star without yet
becoming a great actor. This is the
first time his emotions have carried a
film... and he manages to navigate that road
with nuance and command. It is his
best work to date.
He plays a man who
has clearly dealt with tragedy in his life.
Wrecked with, and motivated by guilt, he
sets about affecting the lives of other
people. His intentions may, at first,
be unclear. However, to the
experienced viewer, those intentions will
become clear long before the "secret" is
revealed on screen.
The film becomes a
tad heavy handed and, in other hands, could
have dwindled into overt melodrama.
Instead, Will Smith crafts a fully realized
character, broken and empty -- a character
we can care about and empathize with.
I don't want to deal
too much with plot points so as to avoid
spoiling what twists there are. Yet,
rest assured that this is a tear-inducing
story with heavy moral questions and
emotionally impactful performances. It
is well worth seeking out.
©
Written by TC Candler
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