Possible spoilers herein.<br /><br />Did worker Louis or Sarah Polly's Maren kill two women by axe and strangulation in 1873 New England? Or more importantly, who really cares?!<br /><br />This movie tediously switches between these 1873 murders and the modern day story of a woman investigating the crime over 100 years later. The 1873 story is supposed to symbolize the modern day story but the flashbacks do not flow with the modern day story and overall don't work. Both stories are uninvolving with unlikable or one-dimensional characters. You don't care what happens in either story. When the movie got a little bit going with one story, the stories switched over and the flow was killed. As two separate movies they wouldn't have worked and would have been a bore.<br /><br />The acting is adequate but uninspired for the most part. The most interesting character is Sean Penn's character but not enough is built on him to gain any significant interest from the viewer. It's a wonder why Sean Penn took this thankless role. Did Sean Penn's character cheat on wife with sexy Hurley? I don't care. <br /><br />Both modern day stories and past stories fail to gain any interest. The direction is tedious and overdone. Two uninvolving stories make one muddled movie. This movie is just pointless. A couple points rewarded for seeing Elizabeth Hurley in the buff.<br /><br />3.5/10