Writer-director Kenneth Lonergan’s long-delayed epic of post-9/11 New York finally limped into theaters late last year — though it was shot, amazingly enough, in 2005. By all accounts, the delays originated with Lonergan (You Can Count on Me), who found himself unable to deliver the film under a contractually obligated running time of 150 minutes, even after getting editorial help from friends like Martin Scorsese. Lonergan’s original cut of the film reportedly was four hours long, which is not hard to believe after watching the release version. This story of a self-obsessed Upper West Side teenager (Anna Paquin) who believes she has caused an accidental death features some truly remarkable scenes while capturing the essence of the time and place in which it’s set. But it’s also a long film that oddly feels too short to bring all its themes and ideas to fruition. The Blu-ray edition includes a three-hour cut on an included DVD, though we wonder if an additional half-hour can fully address the film’s issues. Matt Damon, Mark Ruffalo, and Matthew Broderick round out the cast.
Video: 1080p, 1.85:1. Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. Extras: Included DVD features an extended 3-hour version of the film. Studio: 20th Century Fox.
