Basic synopsis of the film from imdb:
Haunted by a secret, Ben Thomas looks for redemption by radically transforming the lives of seven people he doesn't know. Once his plan is set, nothing will be able to stop him.
It's one of those stories that tears at your heart in conflicting ways. Doesn't it seem strange that you could watch a man plot his own suicide and, as the story develops, realize that the saddest ending would be for him not to go through with it. I find it strange. But, I guess that's what you get when the story is just so sad, the characters lives so dismal, their future so grim, that someone is going to have to lose in the end, no matter what the resolution.
But here's really what I want to say:
Wow. Will Smith is such a fantastic actor. Not that it comes as a surprise. I've known this for a while. But I could hardly believe how real he was in this film. The pain, the pain, the pain. He is so depressed, and carrying such an immense burden of guilt and sadness that there were times it made me want to cry. I usually have a hard time with any films that involve human suffering. And that's definitely what he was doing here. Suffering. But it was a pain that he often had to pretend was not there in order to succeed with his exit strategy. At one point, he gave a forced smile that just stabbed at my heart. I am going to have to pretend that people don't really feel pain of that kind if I am going to carry on with my life.
No shoddy workmanship from the Fresh Prince of Bel Air here. No sir.
