"Moneyball" - a star vehicle that was tailor-made for superstar actor Brad Pitt - is a gripping on-the-edgeof-your-seat drama set against the backdrop of Professional Baseball which turns out to be a morality tale that succeeds in exposing the ugly underbelly of America's favourite past-time.
In a nutshell?
It's not about winning. It's how you play the game.
The entertaining flick is loosely-based on a book by Oakland A's General Manager - Billy Beane - and his ballsy bold-faced attempt to up-end the old guard in the heady realms of the gladiator sports arena.
For fans, the searing behind-the-scenes foray may prove to be a startling eye-opener.
In fact, I expect baseball-lovers may never view the sport the same way every again.
"Moneyball" is a well-crafted feature film that resonates - partly due - to a tight believable script (the dialogue crackles at times), superb cinematography, and stellar portrayals by a handful of the actors in the ensemble piece.
Pitt turns in a remarkably mature performance that screams "Oscar".
In the past, I have criticized Mr. Pitt for relying on an old bag of actor's tricks (and a hang-dog gaze or two) to get by which held him back as a top notch actor ('til now).
In "Moneyball" Pitt is awesome to watch.
Because Pitt actually listens to the other actors in play around him - and subsequently responds accordingly in a heartfelt truth way - his characterization ends up being natural, rivetting, and - most of all - authentic.
4 Stars!
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