The film’s strongest sequences resemble 1970s thrillers such as Sidney Lumet’s “Dog Day Afternoon,” in which Pacino — his casting can’t have been a coincidence — plays a similarly tormented antihero.

In which a writer holds several of the world's best filmmakers hostage and lectures them about their relationship to critics.

Following The Film Stage’s collective top 50 films of 2025, as part of our year-end coverage, our contributors are sharing ...