[mikech]

hmm, i don't know if you paid enough attention to the film. he's divorced and appears to be unattached, not sure how he has marriage issues. and about his "good heart" and moral decision, well, i think it's easy to miss the fact that the climax of the movie was not where he made his decision, and it was not the decision you probably think he made.

spoilers: (<font color="white">he made his moral choice when he accepted the loan from his boss, marty. remember how he went into marty's office to tell him about the damning u-north document? before he had the chance to, his boss gave him a check for the 80k he needed to borrow, and then he never brought up the document! that was when he made his decision. it was so subtle i bet 80% of the audience of this movie won't realize it. he continued to work, even quitting that late-night poker game to go "fix" the problem of the hit-n-run, but the u-north lady lawyer tried to have him killed. if his hand hadn't been forced by the attempt on his life he would've done nothing.

that's why i didn't like the ending, because his decision was already made, and it was consistent with the character and made sense in the context of the story, however despairing and bleak. the reversal of his choice was not motivated by moral concerns, but occurred simply because he was left with no choice. in essence, the ending was a copout.</font>)

also, re: the "textbook" or cliched aspects of the character or plot, i have no real issues with that even if true. every story has already been told, the difference is in the execution. it's not the "what," it's the "how." and this movie was executed very well, imo. yes, it's a story that's been told before, but i for one don't mind hearing this story over and again, i love this story. "justice, sir, is the great interest of man on earth."