Two boys set out to look after their family's herd of goats with a rifle. They decide to test the rifle, but the bullet goes farther than they thought it would. In an instant, the lives of four separate groups of strangers on three different continents collide. Caught up in the rising tide of an accident that escalates beyond anyone's control are a vacationing American couple (Brad Pitt & Cate Blanchett), a deaf Japanese teenager and her father, and a Mexican nanny who takes two American children across the border without permission. None of these strangers will ever meet. They will all remain isolated due to their own inability to communicate with anyone around them.
3/4 of the movie was phenomenal. The other extremely awkward 1/4 of it held this movie back more than any movie I can think of in recent years. Basically the two aforementioned kids accidentally shoot Cate Blanchett. Because of this: A - Brad Pitt is trying as hard as possible to take care of his injured wife . . . B - They are unable to get home to their children and relieve their nanny who had plans to go to her son's wedding in Mexico and is now going to take the children with her . . . C - The kids who shot Cate Blanchett are on the run trying to cover up what they have done . . . . D - There is some deaf/mute Japanese girl who is obsessed with having sex. Try and guess which 1/4 of the movie was holding it back.
Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett's story was awesome and you find yourself inadvertantly wondering what the heck you would do if you were in a similar situation. Watching the kids who did the shooting try to cover their tracks definitely kept you interested. The part with the nanny taking the kids over the border in to Mexico and trying to get them back was the best of the four stories in my opinion. And then there's the thing with the Japanese girl. Because the other three stories were so well done and ended up being interconnected, I tried to be as patient as possible with this one. In the end, the only tie to the other situations was that the rifle that was used to shoot Cate Blanchett was registered in the Japanese girl's father's name. I was so annoyed that was the only link to her story after I had to suffer through watching her for so long trying to offer herself to any Japanese man she saw. Her part was such dead weight in an otherwise phenomenal movie.
I would still recommend this movie to anyone, but strongly suggest folding laundry or running to the bathroom while leaving the movie playing any time the Japanese girl is on.
