Edward Norton's great comeback after being far away from the big screen for a few years is a delightful homage to the 'film noir' genre where mystery and crime are at the heart of the story. Supported by a fantastic cinematography, the 1950s New York shows its dark soul with black alleys, dark corners and threatening figures that walk around like ghosts ready to attack the few sparks of resistance against its embedded racism and corruption.
The key pillar which makes this film unusual is the complexity of its screenplay: mixing real-events where New York City was looking to eradicate poor black community neighborhoods and the following local resistance (with the legendary Jane Jacobs at its head), and a classic crime mystery which will lead Edward Norton's character into the dark corridors of power where political decisions have only the face of power and greed. Amidst all this, a quite unusual lead character who suffers a condition that brings a comical but also a dramatic tone to the overall portrait.
The fantastic cast along with the very good soundtrack (led by the magistral Jazz musician Wynson Marsalis) makes the complex script shine, even if the length of the film and the different clues of the mystery plot do not seem to intertwine quite clearly. Overall, a good watch.
