Clint Eastwood knows how to direct himself. This is an intelligent, realistic, low key, and very well-crafted mystery thriller. I enjoyed the trail of discoveries and deductions that lead from one clue to another. I liked how all the pieces fall into place in a sound manner. (The premise of the plot is initially pretty far-fetched.)

Unfortunately, the film hits a few too many wrong notes, first right in the beginning with a supporting character's one-liners that just don't fly, but more significantly in the final act, which piles on a depressing atmosphere too thickly and nods at a romantic subplot it hasn't earned.