There are some films that left such a lasting impact on me that I will always remember the circumstances of the viewing: how I felt and where I was. On the other hand, there are some films so immediately forgettable and utterly pointless I wonder why I bothered watching them at all. The Jacket falls somewhere in the middle of this spectrum.

Don’t get me wrong, the film isn’t horrible; it’s actually very well-made. The acting is, on the whole, quite good (Keira Knightley is a surprising standout and Daniel Craig hams it up). The story is interesting, though not as complex as it first appears (there are also some plot elements that seem rushed; rather than things developing organically, events happen in the film because the film needs them to happen). The problem lies in the familiarity of the film; we’ve seen elements from The Jacket time and again in better projects over the past ten years.

This film also suffers from a muddled script. Granted, given the nature of the film, some complexity is to be expected. However, some story elements are left vague and undeveloped while others seem contrived and simplistic. A tighter script would have made for a much more interesting film.

The Jacket seems like the shadow of a greater film, something that, with a few more tweaks here and there, could’ve been great rather than just average.