FuzzyTagz If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

Catangro After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.

Cooktopi The acting in this movie is really good.

Raymond Sierra The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

Megatronisgod First and foremost one can't watch this film without first engaging in an inevitable comparison to HBO's "The Wire". Benjamin Busch culled many of that series actors at the season's end to take part in his directional debut. Being a huge fan of that show it can prove to be an initial distraction but the styles are much different and the actors are allowed to stretch into different characters. If you expect "The Wire- The Lost Episode" than you will be disappointed. You shouldn't be.Opening with a brilliant performance by the vastly underused Domenick Lombardozzi the film slowly builds into a taut, thinking-man's thriller. There's many twists and turns and it requires constant attention. In many ways it reminding me of a more cerebral version of the Mark Wahlberg film "Shooter". Throw into the mix several fantastic performances by the cast, including a standout turn by Clarke Peters, and you're in for a solid hour's entertainment.Busch's direction recalls the 70's paranoid thrillers and the work of such directors as Alan J. Pakula, John Frankenheimer, and Arthur Penn. I hope to see him directing more as his debut shows a lot of potential for a good run of films. And if he gave himself a role that wouldn't hurt either, particularly after his memorable role as Colicchio in The Wire. Find this film at your local festival. You won't be disappointed.P.S. IMDb doesn't count 10 star ratings are "real" so I gave this an 8 to make it believable. But it should be a 10!

danmasucci This story driven study about regret of a life spent in error has sharp, realistic dialog, compelling characters that feel authentic, and amazing cinematography.I've had to sit through enough "Tarantino" style rip offs at film festivals that I was hesitant after reading the synopsis in the program at the 11th Annual Magnolia Independent Film Festival that I was about to watch a film about a hit-man . My fears were assuaged immediately. It was clear that I was in excellent hands with writer/director Benjamin Busch.His visual choices were graceful and elegant, whether in the midst of violence or heartfelt emotion. I was very impressed. My one complaint was that I wanted more but that is part of what made this film so good. Always leave them wanting more.

jaredmobarak Benjamin Busch's Sympathetic Details showed here at the Buffalo Niagara Film Festival as the "short" film of a double-header bill with a feature length work. It is tough to call this film a short because its 57 minute runtime puts it on the cusp of being more. I don't think anyone would ever release a movie under an hour, however, so I guess it becomes a short by default. As is, I think Busch did the right thing in not trying to expand on it to increase the length. Anything more would have been noticeably filler and have screwed up the pacing, which already is a bit odd in the middle. Maybe because it screened from a DVD, but it looked and felt like a true indie, done on the cheap with some friends, yet still reached a higher level of professionalism than would be normally expected from something like that.With all his co-stars from the HBO drama "The Wire" in action, we are treated to a darker rendition of similar themes as those in this year's black comedy In Bruges. The story concerns a hit-man who has grown a conscience and started asking about his target's survival statistics, the family he will be leaving behind, or as his boss calls it, unnecessary sympathetic details. In this line of work, asking moral questions and then walking away is practically a suicide note as is relayed during the course of the movie. If you are too soft to do the job, you may be too soft to allow others to continue it as well. Any risk of an ex-assassin going informer must be dealt with.Our evolved killer is played by actor Ryan Sands with mixed results. At times he is perfect, but in others he plays it a bit stiff and unnatural. Maybe this was intentional as he was going out of his cold-blooded mentality, but he seemed completely devoid of emotion, a trait that appeared in the script to be what he was discovering. He should have been affected by what happened around him and not just started asking questions while doing his job business as usual. The stoic façade does work perfectly for the final act, though, as he uses his skills to try and save his own life.As for the rest of the cast, we are treated with some solid turns. Clarke Peters is pitch-perfect as the big boss without morals, doing his job because it must be done. His handling of an assistant, at the start, and his conversation with Sands, at the end, are two great scenes. John Doman is effective as Sands' handler, showing the evolution of feeling that his employee and friend should have had as well. Mixed on whether to do his job as he knows it should be done, (these are bad men with reasons to die, one shouldn't forget that fact just because they have a family at home), or to protect his colleague because he knows what his future may hold adds a nice layer to the story. There are also nice showings from Marisol Chacin, (a crucial cog to the system that one may overlook), Domenick Lombardozzi, (setting the tone of the film), and Seth Gilliam, (the true nature of how a criminal lives dual lives of deceit and love depending on who he is dealing with).Busch has crafted something here with a lot of potential. There are flaws for sure, but the base is solid. Starting out with a bang—showing an incident and fringe characters, playing with the audience's notion of investing in people because they are on screen for a long time without knowing how the story will progress, that really just sets up our introduction to the lead role hidden from view—and concluding with a stellar final act that brings everything full circle, the film is bookmarked perfectly. The middle is the weak link, trying to set up relationships without really needing to. You forget any lulls once the end comes as it all falls into place and everyone's allegiances are brought to the surface. I give a lot of credit to Busch for ending it as it needed to be. Not quite completely bleak, but definitely not cheery, Sympathetic Details concludes on a note of closure for all involved, bringing each arc to its inevitable finale.

nm1395000 I had the pleasure of screening this entertaining and well-shot film at our festival in February 2008. "Sympathetic Details" was one of three Jury Award winning films from over 75 international submissions. We also had the honor of having the film's director, Benjamin Busch, in attendance and conducting a Q&A with the audience after the screening. Benjamin has made a quality film that is a fine example of what a true independent film can achieve. Its high standards in cinematography, acting, production value and most importantly, story-telling, made this a must-see movie at our festival.I highly recommend "Sympathetic Details" to any indie-film enthusiast or up-and-coming filmmakers looking for examples of quality work.Jae Staats, Director Almost Famous Film Festival www.theA3F.net