It's a real gem. A saga. Just over two and a half hours, worth it. A story of determination and conquest over insurmountable obstacles And the flouring of a soul. The transition this guys makes in this film is gradual and powerful. By the end you see that it was in him all the time, it was like watching a bud unfold into a flower. He does the unexpected. He never ever gives up, he never surrenders to the inescapable insanity of his life. He escapes the inescapable. And with his soul intact. It's really a story about a miracle. I was roped in by the intensity of the photography and of the depiction. You are forced to root for this guy even though you don't see where he's going. His game becomes too deep to unravel, you're just dragged along by both the impossibility of his situation and yet the sense that he might just escape it all. The characterizations are strong and simple. There is beauty mixed in with the madness and brutality. It's a masterpiece.
