Jack (Robert De Niro) is a devoutly religious parole officer on the verge of retirement (if you've ever seen a film with a character approaching their pension, you know things will probably not go so smoothly). Into his office walks Stone (Edward Norton), a fast talking, corn-rowed con man, guilty of arson, who has a penchant for philosophy and has recently discovered the practice of Zukangor, a religion where a person seeks "illumination". The two men will engage in a psychological battle, with Stone's freedom on the line. Thrown into the mix is Stone's sultry wife (Milla Jovovich), and during this duel Jack will begin to question his own faith as well as his marriage to his long suffering wife (Frances Conroy). Stone, directed by Edward Curran, is almost operatic in its presentation, with religious undertones bursting at the seems. The greatest strength of this film, are the scenes in Jack's office, where we get to watch two of the finest actors of their generation go head-to-head. These scenes build genuine tension and make this a riveting if weighty picture.
