Review: ‘Hereafter’
There’s no question that Clint Eastwood is a strong director. He wrings emotion out of character and picks compelling material to use as his canvass. Each of his films becomes events to anticipate and they are usually fare to savor. As a result, [[[Hereafter]]], out last year, proved to be so disappointing. This time his canvass was the great beyond, or what we think Heaven might be like, so that’s a huge starting point with great potential. A man like Eastwood, who acts and directs with economy, probably has some interesting ideas on the concept.
Somehow, though, there’s nothing at all interesting here. Eastwood directs from Peter Morgan’s script and this was a man who made the making of the Frost/Nixon interviews compelling material. He is given a gifted cast headed by Matt Damon, who immediately hooks his audience and is a sympathetic hero. He heads one of three storylines that propels the movie along but nothing concludes or intertwines as you expect and you wind up feeling disappointed by the entire experience.