Snake Sugarbaker's Movie Review of Enduring Love

Rating of
2/4

Enduring Love

Puff, puff, pass over
Snake Sugarbaker - wrote on 12/11/09

Despite expecting Samantha Morton’s presence, I expected little from Enduring Love. Having never read the Ian McEwan novel which inspired it, but having seen director Michell’s previous Notting Hill, I expected (esp. considering the title) a patronizing British comedy.

After the near-breathtaking first 10 minutes, I sat corrected – and encouraged. Joe (Daniel Craig) and Claire (Morton), while picnicking in a field on a windy day, have their conversation interrupted by a runaway hot-air balloon. Noticing its pilot singlehandedly straining to rescue a ten year-old inside the basket, Joe races to help ground the balloon. Shortly, other men (including passerby Jed [Rhys Ifans]) join in the struggle, with little success. Gorgeously shot, the post-struggle events and the ensuing speechlessness of the characters are felt throughout the entire cinema.

When Joe and Claire return to London, however, the film starts to lose its air. The
potentially-intriguing story of Joe’s post-traumatic stress syndrome is trumped by a stalker plot involving Joe and fellow-rescuer Jed, a lonely, not-quite-madman who is convinced of a profound connection with Joe. Soon, the film approaches Sleeping with the Enemy and Unlawful Entry territory, having Jed appear wherever Joe does with inevitable results.

Enduring this movie isn’t excruciating. Daniel Craig’s taut physique is shown scantily-clad often and the acting is better-than-average (though Morton appears bored). The beauty of the first ten minutes certainly doesn’t last throughout and, despite the help of many men, Enduring Love, like the errant balloon, never gets grounded.

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