Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1414 in DVD
• Released on: 2004-09-13
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 1.77:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 125 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
Sean Penn and Benecio Del Toro, two of the most gripping actors around, play wildly different men linked through a grieving woman (Naomi Watts) in 21 Grams. Del Toro delves deep into the role of an ex-con turned born-again Christian, a deeply conflicted man struggling to set right a terrible accident, even at the expense of his family. Penn captures a cynical, philandering professor in dire need of a heart transplant, which he gets from the death of Watts' husband. 21 Grams slips back in forth in time, creating an intricate emotional web out of the past and the present that slowly draws these three together; the result is remarkably fluid and compelling. The movie overreaches for metaphors towards the end, but that doesn't erase the power of the deeply felt performances. --Bret Fetzer

DVD Description
A freak accident brings together a terminally ill mathematician, a grieving mother and a born-again ex-con. A gripping story that takes them to the heights of passion, the depths of obsession and sees the promise of revenge...

Synopsis
Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (AMORES PERROS) directs this staggeringly intense drama concerning three families whose lives fatefully intertwine through a series of tragic events. With jumbled chronology that jumps from one shocking event to the next in an increasingly chaotic maelstrom, 21 GRAMS is relentlessly gritty in its content and its aesthetics. The title refers to the amount of weight that a human body loses at the moment death arrives, but the story begs the question How much is gained

Customer Reviews

WHAT A FILM !!!!!!
this film is a amazing i thought it would be some soppy chick flick but far from it. great acting great story and amzing how the film is put together. you wont be disapointed trust me. a two hour gem...........

Excellent if downbeat
I have to admit I haven't been the biggest fan of Sean Penn. Much of the time he appears to overact, or he seems to be pretty well typecast as an unsavoury character. Dead Man Walking and more recently Mystic River are 2 examples where his acting felt either OTT or unconvincing.

But The Assassination Of Richard Nixon and 21 Grams (both made in 2004) are two films of his I've seen where his acting skills finally hit all the right notes big time. Because Sean Penn has the central role, and that the subject matter dealt within 21 grams is sensitive as well as emotional, it was vital that he could nail the role of Paul Rivers with conviction to make the whole film succeed, and thankfully this time he comes up trumps and I ended up feeling genuine sympathy towards his character. The whole cast contribute strongly, especially Australian actress Naomi Watts and Benicio Del Toro.

It's also refreshing to watch a film that can succeed on a downbeat dramatic level or without resorting to excessive violence, car chase sequences and the usual well-worn clichés that so many Hollywood films feel the need to rely on these days. A good storyline and great acting will always win through in appreciation over time if not necessarily the box office.

Great film and recommended for those who don't have a short attention span.

too heavy even for the wife
I prefer mindless action films and thrillers but the wife likes to be emotionally involved, so this was her choice. But we both agreed to turn it off after an hour. It is slow, grim and takes a long time to disentangle, and frankly we just were no longer interested in the fate of the characters. As other reviews suggest, this film will be seen in some quarters as a minor masterpiece, but I suspect that the preponderance of good reviews is beause those who switch off do not write reviews.