SpecialsTarget Disturbing yet enthralling

TeenzTen An action-packed slog

Tacticalin An absolute waste of money

Ketrivie It isn't all that great, actually. Really cheesy and very predicable of how certain scenes are gonna turn play out. However, I guess that's the charm of it all, because I would consider this one of my guilty pleasures.

JohnLeeT One can not help but be overwhelmed by the power, the stunning brilliance, and incredibly amazing performance by Ms. Emily Watson that assuredly deserved an Academy Award and which shames the Oscars forever because a Paltrow, Berry, or other flunky has received a statue and Watson has been brutally robbed. This is acting at its absolute finest and a role so perfectly realized by Watson that it can never be forgotten by anyone who has seen it. Never in the history of cinema has any actress so completely captured the very soul of a character and transferred it so expertly to film. It is indeed a film for the ages because of what Watson brings to it, the fire and passion she ignites the screen with, and the unbridled superbness of craft she puts forth. One is almost blinded by such brilliance and I was not the only member of the audience to stagger from the theatre upon first viewing of this film, breathless with astonishment and trembling with emotion as I tried to find words to express the depth of my feelings to my evening's companion. I could barely speak the word "Emily" and could see from my companion's eyes she was equally affected by what she had just witnessed and we shared the awe in silence as the dazed audience around us wandered as if numbed into the night. Rarely has a performance touched me in this way and yet with Emily Watson it is par for the course due to an unequaled talent that few if any other actor can begin to approach. I felt pummeled by her work, bruised by her electric might, and singed by her passion. That night was one I will never forget. I have never seen an audience literally struck dumb by a performance in a cinema. Since seeing this film I have found Watson routinely splendid and spectacularly superb in role after role. There is no doubt she is the single greatest living actor working in the English language today and this film serves as a perfect showcase for her magnificent genius.

Framescourer Jacqueline de Pre was an exceptional cellist. I know this because I've heard her recordings. This film, in classic biopic fashion, looks to take material detailing another side of her life - specifically a book by her siblings - and turn that into a film that illuminates, humanises or sensationalises her life with, it must be assumed, the best of intentions.Hilary and Jackie takes a view of Jacquline du Pre that makes her out to be perversely, belligerently needy. This may be true of course but I do not feel that Anand Tucker's film cross-refers this part of her life with the music making. Instead we get a picture of a argumentative, pitiful, blinkeredly adulterous woman almost free of context, culminating in a dramatisation of her later stages of MS.I think that Emily Watson does and admirable job and is more than matched by Rachel Griffiths as her loving and long-suffering sister. This is just a rather narrow-minded movie that really does suggest it's very difficult to make a biopic about musicians, whose achievements consistently defy re-appropriating in cinema. 4/10

bob the moo As a child Hilary was the talented musician on the flute and the younger Jacqueline was encouraged to keep up if she wanted to accompany her sister on trips to musical events. So Jackie practiced hard on her cello to do so, gradually becoming better than her sister. As adults Hilary is now very much in the shadow of her brilliant sister Jackie, who is booked solid for shows. However where Hilary finds happiness and support from her partner and husband Kiffer, Jackie grows increasingly isolated from others. The pair's relationship drifts apart but comes together again to produce one traumatic moment in their relationship.I'm sure it has been done many times but I still found this film's structure to be pretty clever. The central traumatic act in the narrative occurs halfway through the film; up until then we follow things from Hilary's point of view and then in the second half we jump backwards and work up to it again (and beyond) from Jacqueline's (more or less). The effect is that the first half of the film is engaging as it develops along lines we don't know while the second film is engaging as it underpins the reasons for Jacqueline's character and where she goes from there. I put of watching the film because I had no knowledge of the characters and no real interest in their music, however now that I have watched it I am glad I did as it is well made and interesting. It is very character driven and evenly paced, which will annoy some viewers but for me it worked really well and produced a story that didn't require you to know the people involved because you felt you did by the end.Watson leads the cast really well, bringing out the innocent of her character as easily as she does the spite within Jackie. Griffiths yet again shows her talent in taking on yet another accent and strange character and pulling it off. They work well together although their best scenes are early on. Support is good from Frain, Morrissey, Dance, Imrie and others but the film is lead well by the main two actresses who work well with the material given them.Overall this is a well paced film that will annoy some but is heavy in quality. The character development in the script is strong and the cast respond well to it. Tucker controls it all well with a good eye for a scene and some imaginative visual touches and brings out a film that is well-structured and engaging even if it won't be to everyone's tastes.

bcheers From the first scene I knew this was a very special film. I relaxed and let it flow over me.Hilary and Jackie are sisters who share a special bond. Hilary is the star of the family until Jackie decides she will not be outdone and becomes a world renowned cellist.Hilary's talent wanes and she marries and settles for a family life in country England. Jackie travels the world.It is being able to witness the dynamics of the relationship between these sisters that makes the film remarkable. The acting is superb and given the fact that this is based on the biography "A Genius In The Family" by the real-life Hilary Du Pre and her brother, the story is even more absorbing.The soundtrack is beautiful with music by Elgar and Bach.A truly satisfying film which I would recommend to those who love a good story, good music and wonderful acting, direction and cinematography.10/10