Plenty of weight in powerful drama

Starring Sean Penn, 21 Grams tells the story of three individuals whose lives collided in one tragic moment.

When Christina Peck’s (Naomi Watts) husband and children are killed by Jack Jordan (Benecio Del Toro) in a hit and run accident, Paul Rivers (Penn) receives the heart transplant he’s been waiting desperately for.

When he’s released from hospital he goes looking for Christina and the two end up planning to make Jordan, a born again Christian, pay for his actions.

They needn’t have bothered. Jordan’s guilt has already sentenced him to a life of hell.

21 Grams jumps back and forth a lot in time, which can be a little confusing. But, in the end, this style helps to create and maintain a tension that is rare in modern films.

You have to work hard at times to connect all the dots, but the finished picture is well worth the effort.

With powerhouse performances from Penn, Watts and Del Toro, 21 Grams is a bold experiment that reaped rich dividends.

Drama, 18. ***