Finally got around to seeing it this afternoon. LOVED it. Was oddly underwhelmed by Ralph Fiennes' performance, found him a little stiff and uncomfortable in places. I realise his character was supposed to be like that, but there were moments I didn't buy his performance.
Rachel Weisz was glorious. A wonderfully natural performance, I thought she handled some preachy dialogue very well. Effortlessly sexy to boot. I am so happy she's finally getting some recognition as a serious actress after the Mummy movies.
And yes, the direction is fabulous. I thought City Of God was great but a little overdone in places (the flashback within a flashback within a flashback for example) and I did fear I would find it as jarring here. Nope. Extremely well done.
Nothing precious, plain to see, don't make a fuss over me. Not loud, not soft, but somewhere inbetween. Say sorry, just let it be the word you mean.