Good Will Hunting

Directed by Gus Van Sant, Good Will Hunting follows a brilliant janitor (Matt Damon’s Will Hunting) as he’s discovered by a prickly professor (Stellan Skarsgård’s Gerald Lambeau) and enrolled in therapy sessions with a grieving psychology teacher (Robin Williams’ Sean Maguire). Filmmaker Van Sant, armed with Damon and Ben Affleck’s screenplay, delivers a predominantly engrossing drama that benefits from its compelling narrative and superb performances, as, in terms of the latter, Van Sant elicits first-class, spellbinding work from his stars and myriad of periphery players – with Damon’s top-notch efforts, generally speaking, eclipsed by Williams’ perpetually enthralling turn as the damaged Sean. (There is, for example, an absolutely breathtaking sequence wherein Sean makes a series of personal revelations during a chat with Will.) And while it’s never terribly difficult to discern where all this is going, Good Will Hunting, peppered as it is by above-average attributes (eg Jean-Yves Escoffier’s lush cinematography, Danny Elfman’s note-perfect score, etc), progresses through a storyline augmented with one electrifying interlude and set-piece after another before ultimately arriving at its memorable, flawless conclusion – which does, in the end, cement the picture’s place as a thoroughly entertaining (and impressive) piece of work that grows richer and richer with each subsequent viewing.

**** out of ****