Stone

A prison parole officer (Robert De Niro) handles one last case before retirement: an inmate (Edward Norton) whose wife (Milla Jovovich) will do anything to get her husband an early release. Angus MacLachlan’s script never convinces, and John Curran’s direction lacks energy. The actors do what they can, with some good moments scattered about. Things inevitably perk up when De Niro and Norton share a scene, but MacLachlan’s patently far-fetched contrivances always drag them down. The same happens to Jovovich, who at least shows potential beyond the Resident Evil franchise. Frances Conroy, as De Niro’s cowed wife, is simply wasted. A prologue set 30 years earlier (with other actors) establishes the parole officer as an abusive dirtbag, and De Niro is never able to salvage any sympathy for the bastard.