Today’s quick review: Stone. To secure his early release from prison, Stone (Edward Norton), an unrepentant convict, sends his attractive wife Lucetta (Milla Jovovich) to seduce Jack (Robert De Niro), his jaded parole officer. As Jack gradually succumbs to temptation, Stone has an epiphany that sets his life on a new path. While dealing with his own darker side, Jack must decide whether or not to let Stone back out into society.
Stone is a moral drama with religious themes. The movie follows two men as they confront their own choices and the consequences of their actions. Stone attempts to be a thoughtful, moving drama with a plausible story, but it falls well short of the mark. Robert De Niro, Edward Norton, and Milla Jovovich lend the movie some star power, but a trio of fine performances cannot salvage their unlikable characters.
Stone’s chief failing is that it provides nothing to latch onto. Jack should be a flawed, sympathetic protagonist, so that the outcome of his moral struggle carries weight. But the film opens by showing Jack as an abusive husband, and nothing he does after that point is able to redeem him. For his part, Stone is a high-strung lowlife, abrasive at first but increasingly palatable as he discovers religion. Even then, he’s hard to connect with.
The plot suffers from similar problems. The juxtaposition between Stone’s rise and Jack’s fall should give the movie plenty of dramatic fodder to work with. But the plot has few truly memorable events; the characters just drift along their set trajectories until the ending. The script tries to develop its themes through its philosophical conversations and a few repeated symbols, but it offers nothing insightful or compelling.
Stone has some value for those interested in realistic moral drama, but its dull plot and unlikable characters hamstring what potential it has. Most viewers would be better off skipping it. For a tense legal drama that makes better use of Edward Norton, check out Primal Fear. For a more literal, horror-tinged look at temptation, take a look at The Devil’s Advocate. For a more thoughtful personal drama, check out K-PAX.
5.4 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 5.5 for a good cast, weak characters, and an unfulfilling plot.