Angelina Jolie gives a vulnerable, controlled, and often transfixing performance as Maxine. Her emotional precision is the film’s clearest strength and frequently keeps thin material compelling.
Pros: emotional impact, lead performance
Cons: character development, screenplay quality
Jolie’s direction gets one emphatic endorsement and repeated praise for the opening attack and select visual choices. Most critics, however, find the overall approach too stiff, heavy-handed, vague, or structurally...
Pros: acting performance, cinematography
Cons: directing quality, story quality