First Hit: Initially I struggled to get into the flow of the film, but in the end it was very satisfying and touches on an interesting subject.
Will Smith has played comedic and dramatic parts and he is showing himself to be very capable at both. In this film Smith plays Ben Thomas as an IRS Investigator, or is he.
Right at the beginning his behavior is unlike any investigator I’ve ever come across (yes I’ve met a couple). But as he investigates people, he truly learns about these people and if they're living of an honest true life. He grants people payment favors if possible and sticks it to others who are lying to him.
Interspersed with the flow of the story are haphazard scenes of him with his wife, his old home, and an accident. The flash backs and story line are choppy and keep one off course, but when the film hits the ¾ mark it starts to clear itself up. Ben has some great scenes with Rosario Dawson (as Emily), Woody Harrelson (as Ezra) and Barry Pepper (as Dan).
Additional scenes with Elpidia Carrillo and Joe Nunez were wonderfully dramatic and very funny respectively.
Will Smith is excellent at showing deep conflicted emotions which are required in this part. Rosario Dawson is wonderful as a woman who, besides having tax issues, has a congenital heart problem and may die. Direction by Gabriele Muccino was less than stellar because the scenes weren’t craftily mixed up, they were confusingly mixed up. As I started to get into the flow of what this film was attempting to do, more than half the film had passed. I think the mystery could have been concealed in a different way.
Overall: Once passed the halfway mark the film starts to get traction and became more engaging and interesting. At the end I felt justified for sitting there for 118 minutes.