Stone

Propelled by two top-notch actors, filmmaker John Curran's Stone is an intense prison drama that morphs into an ambiguous noir thriller about compromised ethics. Taciturn, time-hardened Jack Mabrey (Robert De Niro) is a soon-to-be-retired Michigan corrections officer whose last case forces him into a battle of wits with fast-talking, manipulative Gerald “Stone” Creeson (Edward Norton), a remorseless arsonist whose girlfriend Lucetta (Milla Jovovich) is determined to get Stone released early. Deviously conniving, this seductive vixen cleverly insinuates herself into irascible Jack's life, preying on his long-repressed insecurity and spiritual guilt involving his reclusive, relentlessly religious wife, Madylyn (Frances Conroy). With his hair in cornrows and an exaggerated street accent, creepy badass Norton is far more compelling to watch than more celebrated costar De Niro, who spends much of the time grappling with a load of emotional baggage, illustrated in flashbacks. But the greatest surprise here is Jovovich, the Ukrainian-born former teen supermodel best known as the butt-kicking, zombie-fighting amnesiac in the Resident Evil franchise; here utilizing her bodacious naked body, she's a highly effective emotional terrorist. Superbly crafted and smartly acted, Stone is recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include a “making-of” featurette (6 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: a slight extras package for a solid film.] (S. Granger)