While the crunchy fights and unflagging pace ensure this delivers as genre spectacle, the muddy ethics also make for a pleasing contrast with standard-issue wham-bammery.
Despite all the globe-trotting, the on location shooting combined with the gritty street-level acrobatics lend a palpable sense of reality and suspense.
[Director] Greengrass proves himself equally adept at action, building on the edginess of Doug Liman's original with a feverish handheld camera and frenetic editing.
Hollywood corrupts absolutely, and Mamet turns the toxic process into the year's best and smartest comedy.
- Rolling Stone, 2001-02-06
State and Main might be the perfect David Mamet movie for people who don't like David Mamet movies. The nice thing about it, though, is that it won't disappoint the rest of us.
As teen melodrama, well, Carter's film is what it is; but for such a mainstream black-consciousness movie, at least it doesn't shy from addressing some touchy issues about masculinity, parenthood, and black attitudes to whites.
Roberts asks her students rhetorical questions: What makes art good or bad? Who decides? But the movie answers them as canonically as the syllabus Roberts abandons.
All but one, (Carolina \u2013 reminded me of Emma), of these films was more than convincing, believable, and worthwhile to view. Be prepared to learn from these films too, as they can help us cope with everyday situations, and encourage us to persevere in the face of overwhelming odds.\nSharon Stone was so moving, as an understanding and empathetic Mother trying her very best and believing in her son\u2019s ability, played enthusiastically by Kieran Culkin (The Mighty).\nAll the other films, Music of the Heart, The Battle of Shaker Heights, Wide Awake and Smoke Signals (:D) are excellent choices made by Miramax to compile the set.\nMore than Highly recommended and excellent value.