AllMovie

Newton Thomas Sigel's Point of Origin is based on a fascinating true story, but Sigel, a respected cinematographer, detracts from the story's impact by emphasizing inappropriately flashy visuals over verisimilitude. The over-the-top style of the film ranges from the frequent scenes that run backwards (somewhat appropriate, as investigators are trying to figure out the crimes' "point of origin") to a cheesily heavy-handed shot of a judge's gavel coming down in slow motion, complete with a jarring sound effect, to a goofily out-of-place fantasy sequence wherein arson investigator John Orr (Ray Liotta) fights off his enemies using moves ripped from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and various Hong Kong shoot-'em-ups. The cast, including Liotta, John Leguizamo, Illeana Douglas, and Colm Feore, is uniformly good, and the actual story being told is astounding. While some of the effects Sigel uses to tell his story (particularly the fire effects) are impressive, it's difficult enough to believe that these incredible events actually happened. In the end, the wild visuals just make the film's connection to reality that much more tenuous.