Platicsco Good story, Not enough for a whole film

Chirphymium It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

AshUnow This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

Zandra The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

adonis98-743-186503 The problem with this movie is not the performances Jack Nicholson is great in whatever you put him in and David Morse is good too but it seems to me that Sean Penn doesn't know what Drama is he has some very good scenes with dramatic values and some others that destroy the whole movie like having Nicholson going to a Strip Club every 30 minutes or even Robin Wright that should help Morse's character instead of dancing like crazy the actors are great but the script and direction haven't been written really that well although it is good to say that the ending was pretty good since both men have done mistakes and they accept them. The Crossing Guard is a beautiful movie that tries a lot to find the drama that it needs threw out it's story but the confusing direction and some pretty bad scenes and dialogue tear apart the movie i give it a 7/10.

scottmullins09 The pacing of this movie matches the story-line. You can feel it building to a crescendo...the ending is poignant. While Jack Nicholson's character is devolving, on a self-destructive course towards insanity, David Morse's character, on the other hand, is trying to rebuild his life. Guilt is eating both men alive from the inside.Angelica Houston's performance as the ex-wife is spot-on. When she finally opens up to Nicholson at the little cafe at midnite, he is no longer in a receptive mood. He's past the point of no return. The subject matter is heavy. How 2 people...both father and drunk driver...deal with their hate and guilt after the death of the daughter...is not a feel-good movie. But I think it's a subject that many of us have thought about...probably hoping and praying it would never happen to us.Many good performances here. David Morse is amazing as the reformed drunk driver...searching for his lost soul. Priscilla Barnes (from Three's Company) shows up as a stripper, and Nicholson's sometime girlfriend. She is very believable and it's a shame Hollywood typecast her as they did. One can tell from her performance here that she is capable of so much more.All-in-all, a very solid film. Not great, but definitely worth watching.

namashi_1 Legendary Actor Sean Penn's Criminally Under-Rated 'The Crossing Guard' is an astonishing, powerful Human Story, that leaves a terrific impact. And Acting Epitome, Jack Nicholson, is Mesmerising, as always.'The Crossing Guard' Synopsis: Freddie Gale is a seedy jeweler who has sworn to kill the drunk driver who killed his little girl.'The Crossing Guard' is unsettling, disturbing & dark. And that is its biggest victory, it treats this difficult Human Story with proper treatment & detailed execution. Penn's Screenplay & Direction, both, are exemplary. He has handled the film with majestic treatment & magnetic understanding. He's at the top of his game in here!Performance-Wise: Nicholson is mesmerizing. His performance as a father who's daughter was killed, is heartbreaking. Watch his breakdown sequence when he calls up his ex-wife, its haunting. Nicholson is an unmatchable, impeccable, flawless performer who's way above of any award. Anjelica Huston plays Nicholson's ex-wife & she's stunning. David Morse as the culprit, is extremely subdued & restrained. A graceful performance. Robin Wright Penn is efficient.On the whole, 'The Crossing Guard' is an astonishing cinematic achievement. Don't Miss It!

markymark70 First of all, I wanted to like this movie. I like Penn (in both his acting roles and 'some' as director - 'Into The Wild' was fantastic), I like Morse and Nicholson is a good addition as well. The subject of the movie resonates with me too - a father wanting to exact revenge on the drunk-driver killer of his little girl. What father wouldn't feel like that? However, mashing all this together for a film - it just doesn't work.Why? For me - the story was too meandering, too off-the-beaten-track to hook in the viewer. Nicholson's erratic behaviour as a drink-guzzling, topless bar frequenting Lothario - although giving us a look into how his life has become empty and shallow - does not give us much sympathy for him. He tracks down his daughter's killer and gives him 3 days grace. After such time, he will come and shoot him dead. The first question in my mind was why? Why not kill him there and then - get it over with - after all he had been waiting 7 years already.Morse - who had obviously pumped iron for the intervening time in jail - plays his part as best as he can. He's not given much in the way of a script to flesh out his character but he does well to personalise and internalise the pain. Nicholson does okay too - his acting a little spotty at times but in the main he holds it together quite well. A decent turn from Angelica Huston adds to the film. Robin Wright-Penn though does not. It's not entirely her fault as her part is completely irrelevant as Morse's not-quite-love-interest. (In one scene - which I had to replay to see if I saw it properly the first time - I thought Morse had broken her neck for no apparent reason. But it turned out to be a cuddle. Strangest cuddle ever if you ask me.) So the movie meanders through a series of not very exciting moments until we end up at the end of the 3 days with a chase between Nicholson and Morse. This, although leading to some redemption, is almost laughable. First of all Nicholson is an old man, coming off the back of a night of beer and cigarettes and generally out of shape. Morse, on the other hand, looks like a clean-living, hard-working, in-shape perfect human specimen - but yet cannot outrun his predator. A preposterous chase from his trailer through the streets of downtown (where Nicholson has umpteen opportunities to kill his prey and doesn't) ends up in the graveyard where the little girl is buried. Causing both men to finally find some solace and finality.Poor.Don't get me too wrong here - there are some nice scenes, some good dialog too but it is ruined by an unfocused script and an ending that has to be seen to be dis-believed. Penn has had worse outputs than this and he is clearly learning his craft as he goes along but this does go down as a thumbs down rather than up.I'll give it 6/10 for an honest effort at telling a well-worn story in a different way but it was a disappointment at the end of the day.