Scent of a Woman

A little oversentimental at times but otherwise…

06 December 2008

Al Pacino offers a typically brutal and violent performance in…..hang on, actually there is not a gun in sight as Mr Mafia himself shows his sensitive side in ‘Scent of a Woman’. He is still a grumpy and angry sod, mind, but for once it is with good reason as he plays a blind, retired army colonel. Young and penniless student Charlie Simms (Chris O’Donnell) becomes Pacino’s ‘minder’ and on a revealing trip to New York these two vastly different personalities are put to the test. Pacino is superb in the lead role and the character development leaves the viewer with a deep sense of sympathy for the central protagonists. The only criticism is that the film is sometimes too sentimental and almost becomes a cliché-fuelled cheese fest. Luckily, the admirable casting and effective writing rescue the movie from these over the top moments and combine to make a very interesting piece of cinema.

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