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www.eonline.com - : Ed, meet Oscar. Academy voters should take notice of Ed Harris' terrific, tortured portrait of abstract painter Jackson Pollock. Sucking cigs and guzzling booze, Harris embodies the enigmatic genius with brooding machismo and surly swagger. This biopic--Harris' directorial debut--concentrates on the painter's stormy relationship with his wife (and the bottle) as he ascends in the art world. Although the film features moments of engrossing intensity, the drama becomes increasingly fractured. The disintegration of Pollock's marriage is sketchily drawn, and his death (this isn't a spoiler--he really died) doesn't have the emotional resonance it deserves. Fortunately, these script missteps are overshadowed by a top-notch cast, including Marcia Gay Harden as Pollock's strong-willed wife and Amy Madigan as a hysterically persnickety arts patron. But it's really Ed Harris' show. Conveying all the artist's rage, ego and madness, his Pollock packs a wallop. more...
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B+
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Critic Reviews
