Henry Hearst (Gene Hackman) is a prominent and wealthy citizen of San Juan, Puerto Rico, who found the body of a young girl who had been murdered. Police captain Victor Benezet (Morgan Freeman) is a long time friend of Hearst's and asks him to come down to the station answer some questions and tie up some lose ends. What ensues is a blistering interrogation where it is clear that Hearst is the prime suspect.

The script is smart, probing and full of nuance. Subtle hints in both directions make us continually re-evaluate Hearst's guilt or innocence as the interrogation twists and turns. The ending is a surprise and quite abstruse, requiring some reflection to fathom.

Stephen Hopkins' (Lost In Space) direction is fabulous. The camerawork is excellent, using various perspectives and jump cuts to lend power to the dialogue. I would have liked to see more character development of Captain Benezet to understand his obsessive motivation of trying to nail Hearst. Also, it seems a bit incongruous to have this set in Puerto Rico and have so many obviously American characters. Nonetheless, the work by Hopkins is first-rate overall.

The acting is superb. Morgan Freeman gives a brilliant performance, worthy of an Oscar nomination in my opinion. His dogged pursuit of Hearst never lets up as he is slowly eaten alive by his fixation with proving Hearst is the murderer. Hackman's performance is equally outstanding. His is the most complex and mentally tortured character in the film, and he portrays Hearst like a rat on an electric grid. Italian star Monica Belucci is mysterious and lovely as Hearst's suspicious wife in one of her few American films. The only mediocre performance comes from Thomas Jane as the detective. He is unable to match the rhythm and intensity of the rest of the cast. This part probably should have gone to a Hispanic actor in keeping with the setting.

This intense and clever film keeps the audience guessing throughout. I rated it a 9/10. It is an entertaining film for the thinking viewer.

The duel begins when Benezet requests that Hearst stop by the police station to answer a few minor questions. After all, it'll only take ten minutes or so, and Hearst will not be delayed attending a charity fund-raising dinner across the street, at which he is to give the main toast at the behest of Benezet's boss, the police Superintendent. Talk about pressure to get on with it.

Initially, the plot seems nothing more than a revamped COLUMBO script, as a weary police officer tries to winkle a confession out of a canny adversary. But, it's more than that, even beyond watching these two old pros, Hackman and Freeman, display their acting skills. As Hearst recounts his alibis, which are portrayed to the viewer as flashbacks, the director inserts the Benezet character into those scenes, as if he were physically present, allowing him to ask more questions of Hearst as his alibi unfolds. This is an ingeniously clever effect that I've not seen in any film previous. And then there's the stunning beauty of Bellucci as she plays Hearst's Ice Queen. Wow! (Yeah, I know, mine is a guy fascination, just like in Monica's splendid Y2K film MALENA.)

The ending is totally unexpected. ("Huh? Say, what!"). And, profoundly sad, if one considers the ties that continue to bind in a love relationship gone sour.

This movie grabs the viewer from the opening titles and takes you breathlessly through the story without graphic violence and only slight sexuality. It does so on the sheer power of the performances and the story.

This is a complex thriller that is truly in the Hitchcock tradition.