Now. Despite the sumptuous cinematography and the incredibly cute talking dolphin, I can't, in good conscience, give this film more than three stars. What on Earth possessed Joseph Levine to say "Okay, I've bought the rights to this novel about a dolphin who is trained to kill, I'd better give it to the guy who directed Carnal Knowledge"?

I'm not sure what Mike Nichols, or screenwriter Buck Henry, could have brought to this film besides what they did and had…

This movie is deeply unpleasant and unsettling. It's actually a dreadful, awful experience being in its company throughout its running time. It is also one of the best films I have ever seen. Unlike Memento, to which it could clearly be compared in terms of structure, there is an actual point to the storytelling trickery, that of peeling back the layers from revenge to crime to peace. It's a fascinating way to get to know a set of characters, and…