21 GRAMS — ** 1/2 — Sean Penn, Naomi Watts, Benicio Del Toro, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Melissa Leo; rated R (violence, profanity, gore, nudity, brief sex, brief drugs, vulgarity); see "Showing at local theaters" for theater listings.
You have to give credit to the solid cast members of "21 Grams," who ensured that the gimmicky storytelling techniques employed by the filmmakers didn't completely sink this movie.
The performances — especially a stunning low-key portrayal by Sean Penn, who's really been showing off his acting range this year — are the saving grace for this sullen dramatic thriller, making it watchable, even when co-screenwriter/director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu does everything he can to sabotage their efforts.
Among the young filmmaker's bigger mistakes is employing the "shattered-narrative" gimmick — in which the narrative timeline jumps from past to present and back again; think "Pulp Fiction" or "Memento." But the material here doesn't need that treatment. It's almost as if Inarritu was trying to cover up some holes in the material — which seems odd, because there really aren't that many.
Like "Pulp Fiction," "21 Grams" follows characters whose lives collide because of one specific event. In this case, it's a fatal drunken-driving accident. One of the victims is an organ donor, which benefits Paul Rivers (Penn), a mathematician in need of a heart transplant. Grateful for the gift of life, he begins a frantic search to find the identity of the donor.
In so doing, he meets Cristina Peck (Naomi Watts), the donor's widow. To his surprise, Paul finds himself drawn to the still grieving Cristina. And that, in turn, destroys his own marriage.
As for Cristina, she may be grateful for the company, but she's also got other things on her mind, namely revenge. And the target of her ire is Jack Jordan (Benicio Del Toro), the supposedly born-again ex-con who caused the accident and who has gotten off relatively scot-free.
This is strong material, which is made even more powerful by the cast (in addition to Penn, Watts is believable as the emotionally confused widow, and Del Toro is as intense as ever).
However, every time the film seems to be making some headway, Inarritu flashes back to the start of the story or further ahead, even teasing us with the film's conclusive moments early on. (That may have worked in "Memento," but it sure doesn't here.)
"21 Grams" is rated R for violence (gunplay), occasional use of strong sexual profanity, gore, flashes of male and female nudity, a brief scene of simulated sex, brief drug content (ecstasy use) and use of crude sexual slang terms. Running time: 125 minutes.
E-mail: jeff@desnews.com