SUNDANCE 2006: the hawk is dying

Paul Giamatti is a fantastic actor. He has proven that time and time again. THE HAWK IS DYING is no exception to that. In this film he is great as a man that is going though a series of personal and emotional crises. In this time, he develops an obsessive passion for capturing and then training a hawk. If that sounds odd, well… it is.

This movie makes some bold choices and really tries to be effective and personal. It is well crafted, but ends up being too reliant on symbolism and bizarre themes for its own good. It simply doesn’t work. I applaud Julian Goldberger for his effort, but it just didn’t quite come together. The performances are all good, but that is just not enough.

THE HAWK IS DYING was one of the most anticipated films going into Sundance, but was met with harsh criticisms when it premiered. A great actor and great performance does not always mean a great movie.