DVD Movie Review of "Stone"

We seldom get three inches of snow in Dallas, so I'm going to sit back, open a bottle of wine and enjoy the day. Let's start the day with a dandy of a movie:

The dialog between Edward Norton and Robert DeNiro in the movie Stone will have you wondering "who is screwing who" and keep you mesmerized as they play out their "cat and mouse" game of intrigue.

Nobody plays a better con than Edward Norton (Stone). Stone has put in eight of his ten year sentence in prison and the only thing between him and early release is Jack Mabry (Robert DeNiro), a soon to be retired case worker who when he is not working, is drinking whisky with his wife Madylyn (Francis Conroy from Six Feet Under) and listening to Christian radio talk shows.

Stone had been sentenced to ten years in the pen for an apparent arson in which his cousin shot his grandparents and then he torched the house to cover up the murders. Stone tells Mabry that he admitted to the crime, put in his time, and deserves early release; but Mabry has strong reservations about Stone's sociopathic behavior exhibited during the interviews. Things don't look too good for Stone's release until he hatches a plan to have his wife, Lucetta, (Milla Jovovich) set out to seduce Mabry─and seduce him she does.

You would think that an experienced case worker that deals with cons every day might know better, and this kind of pokes a hole in the story; but Lucetta is smoking hot. Anyway, Mabry now has himself in hot water. He continues an affair with Lucetta, while Stone continues to screw with Mabry's head during the interviews, unaware that Stone has any idea about what is going on. By the time Mabry finds out about the conspiracy, he has already written a report to the board recommending early release for Stone.

Without ruining the story, let's just say revenge is on the way.

This is a psychological thriller that is deep in dialog, but lacking high volume action; so if your looking for action go and rent Die Hard 10. If you want to see something smart, performed by two our screens best actors, you need to get this DVD.

My rating: four out five arsons.