Set to Blondie's "Heart of Glass," the opening scene featuring the glistening body of Mendes writhing erotically on the couch while being subjected to Pheonix's intense gaze was one of the cinematic moments of the year for me. Heck, I almost wish it had come later on in the film, but its placement was important since it enabled Gray to set various thematic dynamics in motion. However, that remarkable and harrowing car chase was what Gray still had in store for us, A. That scene was sound-edited to the rhythm of the windshield wipers which only ratcheted up the tension in such pouring downfall. Short yet heart-stopping. "Great individual moments" was part of my brief remark about the film and you seem to have come to the same conclusion. There were a few gaps in the narrative -- the police procedural elements didn't appear to be in sync at all times (I remember thinking while watching the film that how great it would've been if someone like Michael Mann was in a position to tap Gray on the shoulders to say, "no, this isn't correct, even in the Big Bad NY of the 80s"). The film drew strong responses at its premiere at Cannes: the French, who have a tendency to get a hard-on everytime a film reminds them of American cinema of the '30s and '40s, generally loved it, while N. American critics were less than enthusiastic, and the same held true once the film received its commercial release. Tracy, however, did stick his neck out again, and I commend him for that. It appears now that the film has picked up a few strong admirers in the lead-up to the year-end lists.