Stone

MPAA Rating: R for strong sexuality and violence, and pervasive language.
Moral Rating:
_____
Moviemaking Quality:

Primary Audience:
Adults
Genre:
Thriller Drama
Length:
1 hr. 45 min.
Year of Release:
2010
USA Release:
October 3, 2010 (festival)
October 8, 2010 (select cities)
DVD: January 18, 2011
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Relevant Issues
Copyright, Overture Films

Prisons in the Bible

Sin

Fall of man

Murder

Featuring: Milla Jovovich (Lucetta), Robert De Niro (Jack Mabry), Edward Norton (Gerald Creeson), Frances Conroy (Madylyn), Enver Gjokaj (Young Jack), Pepper Binkley (Young Madylyn), Liam Ferguson (Attorney), more »
Director: John Curran—“The Painted Veil”
Producer: Mimran Schur Pictures, Holly Wiersma Productions, Millennium Films, more »
Distributor: Overture Films

“Some people tell lies. Others live them.”

Producer’s Synopsis: “Academy Award® winner Robert De Niro and Oscar® nominee Edward Norton deliver powerful performances as a seasoned corrections official and a scheming inmate whose lives become dangerously intertwined in ‘Stone,’ a thought-provoking drama directed by John Curran (‘The Painted Veil,’ ‘We Don’t Live Here Anymore’) and written by Angus McLachlan (‘Junebug’).

As parole officer Jack Mabry (De Niro) counts the days toward a quiet retirement, he is asked to review the case of Gerald ‘Stone’ Creeson (Norton), in prison for covering up the murder of his grandparents with a fire. Now eligible for early release, Stone needs to convince Jack he has reformed, but his attempts to influence the older man’s decision have profound and unexpected effects on them both.  

Stone skillfully weaves together the parallel journeys of two men grappling with dark impulses, as the line between lawman and lawbreaker becomes precariously thin. The film’s superb ensemble features Milla Jovovich (‘The Fifth Element’) as Lucetta, Stone’s sexy, casually amoral wife, and Golden Globe® winner Frances Conroy (‘Six Feet Under’) as Madylyn, Jack’s devout, long-suffering spouse.

Set against the quiet desperation of economically ravaged suburban Detroit and the stifling brutality of a maximum security prison, this tale of passion, betrayal and corruption examines the fractured lives of two volatile men breaking from their troubled pasts to face uncertain futures.”

Violence: Extreme / Profanity: Extreme / Sex/Nudity: Extreme

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Viewer CommentsSend your comments
Positive

none

Negative
Negative—Very disappointing film. Had to walk out. The swearing was the first indicator I had made a bad choice. The film portrays Christians as stupid, ignorant followers who don’t know what to believe. De Niro seeks advice from a pastor on why he has bad thoughts… The pastor responds with Psalm 46:10 and a blank loveless stare. The viewer is left with the assumption that Christians have no answers for life’s issues.

All through the first hour there are tidbits of scripture injected in that are without context and leave the viewer with the idea that Christianity is no better than any other faith… a typical attack by the enemy… he doesn’t care what you believe, just that you don’t believe in Christ. Horrible movie in all respects.
—Stark, age 47
Movie Critics

…mostly this is a tense, portentous, and provocative piece. [3½/4]
—Kimberley Jones, The Austin Chronicle

…an ending that is unpredictable yet also flat. They end up subverting expectations by denying pleasure.
—Manohla Dargis, The New York Times

…Moral ambiguity and ethical compromise are at the heart of this meandering prison drama, but at a certain point we simply don’t care anymore who is base and baser.… Stone muddles along, like an idea in search of a plot. [2/4]
—Claudia Puig, USA Today

…“Stone” could have been some sort of a procedural, a straightforward crime movie, but it’s too complex for that. It is actually interested in the minds of these characters, and how they react to a dangerous situation.… [3/4]
—Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

…Though well-acted, this physiological drama is slow-paced and depressing. What’s more, the film’s message is so vague, it’s difficult to reason why anyone would subject oneself to the cruelty and profanity that comprises most of the screen time.…
—Phil Boatwright, Preview Family Movie and TV Review

…a dead-serious meditation on faith and grace, redemption and damnation.…
—Ty Burr, The Boston Globe

…hooey-heavy prison-and-faith drama.…
—Lisa Schwarzbaumm Entertainment Weekly

…A thoroughly unconvincing melodrama about a sexual triangle that few viewers are likely to buy.…
—Kirk Honeycutt, The Hollywood Reporter