Moustroll Good movie but grossly overrated

Bereamic Awesome Movie

Doomtomylo a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

Taraparain Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.

mattkratz This was a great true story about overcoming tremendous odds and adversity. It is about two men, one white and one black, who pioneered newborn heart surgery. Mos Def's character is a carpenter who comes on at Johns Hopkins University and helps Alan Rickman's character develop procedures for the operation and everything. Of course, Def has to overcome prejudice and the social aspects of the day, as it is set during the 1940s. Overall, this was a very inspiring movie. I am very glad I saw it. I liked all the characters, especially the one portrayed by Charles Dutton. Definitely see it if you get the chance.*** out of ****

jackmronner The film could have stood on its own had it simply been a compelling account of the genesis of an historic, baby-saving surgical procedure. Its treatment of the racial dimension renders it an important film, to match the importance of the lives upon which it was based. From a purely filmic perspective, the disparity of experience and eminence as between Alan Rickman and Mos Def in the acting domain, is beautifully mirrored in the relationship between the Doctor and Vivien. We watch as Mos/Vivien rises in our esteem, as their unlooked-for skill reveals itself in the operating and movie theaters. The subtle, almost off-handed, treatment of the prejudice that obtained at that time in history reveals that racist systems can only exist when the injustices are almost invisible to those on either side of the divide; accepted as a matter of course a hundred times a day. So many of the greatest scenes in this movie involve what is left unsaid, from stifled outrage to touchingly laconic "regrets". The highly emotional (for me - every time I see it) quality of this film is that the viewer knows that now the injustices portrayed are no longer invisible, and that what was unsaid to Vivien for so long was finally said, both in his recognition as a pioneer in real life and the tribute that was this film about a life that, appropriately, speaks for itself.

lee-todman I've been giving some negative reviews lately but this movie is a legend. This has to be the most inspirational movie I have ever seen and it offers much much more. Alan Rickman was once again at his utmost best and Mos Def is a natural. You will go through all the emotions in this movie, for me the hardest thing to face was Dr Vivien Thomas (Mos Def) my heart broke a thousand times for the poor man, "was America really that bad in those day's", it kinda reminded me of South Africa during the apartheid era. Dr Vivien Thomas was driven for the love of the work and nothing else and what a natural genius. In the end he got recognition for his work but I don't think that was enough, his picture should have been hung in the Whitehouse. All I can say to anybody out there who hasn't seen this movie is "you are missing out on something special and movies like this don't come in abundance". This movie is worth purchasing and keeping as a classic.

bandw This is a docudrama about the two people behind the first open heart surgery: Dr. Alfred Blalock (Alan Rickman) and Vivien Thomas (Mos Def). One of the many qualities of the film is how it gives enough technical medical details so that you can appreciate the ultimate achievement of the successful operation in 1944 - on a baby with a heart defect - but it does not dwell on the technical specifics to the extent that only a medical doctor could appreciate them. As interesting as the medical aspects are, the real strength of the movie lies in the character development of the two men and the depiction of the racism that Thomas had to endure. Sometimes I felt we were being hit over the head a little too hard with the racism angle (Blacks to the back of the bus, Thomas serving drinks at Blalock's social parties, documentary footage of blacks being hosed and attacked by dogs, Blacks having to enter through the hospital back doors, separate restrooms, and so forth), but that was what Thomas was facing at the time. At least he lived long enough to see the end of institutionalized racism and get some of the respect he deserved.Blalock was an interesting character. When Vivien was the janitor in his lab Blalock was interested enough in him as a person to find out that he had been a skilled carpenter. When Thomas showed some interest in Blalock's surgical experiments on animals, it occurred to Blalock that, given Thomas' background, he might have uncommon dexterity. When this turned out to be true, Blalock was open-minded enough to train Thomas to work with him on surgical procedures. When Blalock stands up for Thomas' working with him in the face of racist comments from colleagues and resists certain racist customs you are thinking that this is going to be one of those stories to warm the hearts of ardent liberals. But Blalock had either an insidious form of racism or such an ego that he could not seem to look much beyond how he could use Thomas to further his career. He could unreasonably fly into a rage when he thought that Thomas was not living up to his impossible expectations and he did not push for any promotions or pay raises for Thomas in spite of the fact that Thomas' skills were developing to equal or surpass Blalock's own. When Blalock's pioneering work received national recognition, he did not include mention of Thomas' contributions.When Blalock showed up at Thomas' house one night, Thomas' wife said to him, "In all the years that you have worked with Vivien you have never come to our house," and Blalock responded, "You never asked me." Trying to figure Blalock out and just what the bond was between these two men is quite a puzzle.I would have liked to know more about Thomas as a person. Whereas Blalock is presented warts and all I have the feeling that there was more to Thomas than the saintly image we get here.The final scene is very moving, where the faces of the actors resolve into the real portraits of the two men that now hang in the Johns Hopkins Medical Center.It is an unusual movie where you get a history lesson as well as an engaging character study.