Acclaimed Spanish director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (the brilliant Amores Perros) makes his American debut with 21 Grams, an intensely dramatic character study starring Sean Penn, Naomi Watts and Benicio Del Toro.

The title of the film refers to a myth that suggests that when a person dies, they lose exactly 21 Grams. The title is, of course, a metaphor. This movie is a rather sprawling character study in which three separate lives
are profoundly impacted by a single, tragic event; a horrific car crash (this is interesting given that this is the same sort of event that effects the characters in Amores Perros).

21 Grams does not unfold through a straight forward narrative, as scenes from the past, present and future are all revealed out of order so that we the audience witness the outcome of certain events before we actually see what leads up to them. As was the case in films like Memento, Irreversible and Pulp Fiction, this makes for an intriguing time at the movie because it forces us to stay on our toes as viewers - constantly being challenged by a new revelation. What's most interesting is that this technique never feels gimmicky in 21 Grams, because this isn't a mystery, it's pure drama.

Inarritu is an amazing talent and he has an interesting eye for human behavior. Many characters in this picture do things they know they shouldn't (i.e. Penn's character continues to smoke like a chimney even though he's in
dire need of a heart transplant). And even though 21 Grams never quite becomes as important and powerful as it aspires to be, much of the picture
moved me. Keeping 21 Grams from reaching it's full potential are some sequences and background stories that don't quite come together. The moments between Penn and actress Charlotte Gainsbourg, didn't seem to have much depth to them. There is a history there (the two play husband and wife), and even though the turmoil in their relationship is somewhat resolved, I somehow felt underwhelmed by it. There are also other moments in the film where I didn't buy into the way specific characters were reacting towards
certain events. It's hard to elaborate on this without giving key plot points away (I friggin' hate spoilers), but I will say I had issues with key
moments between Del Toro's character and his wife (played by Melissa Leo).

21 Grams has cold moments but it has uplifting ones as well. This is a picture that deals with themes of sacrifice, addiction, guilt, redemption
and religion, and they're all dealt with in interesting ways, some predictable and some most unexpected. Naomi Watts is outstanding here and really lets herself go emotionally as a woman who, despite constantly being told; "Life goes on", can't seem to break out of a downward spiral caused by tragedy. It's a role that reminded me a bit of Halle Berry in Monsters Ball, only I felt this part was more fully realized. Her grieving is painfully real. Sean Penn is solid as a man who feels his life would not be possible were it not for a sacrifice made by
another. He is passionate and sincere and I was even more moved by his work here than by his terrific turn in Mystic River. Del Toro is, once again, a riveting screen force, this time playing a God fearing man with a wreckless past. He's intense and unpredictable, and absolutely compelling to watch.

Like Cold Mountain, 21 Grams is a movie I greatly admire, but I wouldn't call it greatness. With shades of Talk to Her and even the light romantic comedy Return to Me, this is a worthy second effort by Innarritu but it wasn't as involving as Amores Perros. Somehow, after this picture was over, I felt as if there was something missing. Still, 21 Grams is much more thought provoking than some of the other crap playing right now, and if you can handle an intense time at the movies, it's more than worth a look.