All-burn, mixed performances for principles

Just ran across this film and kept swearing I was gonna change the channel. I swear I was 45 minutes into the film before I got genuinely interested in what was going on.

Someone in another thread said that the movie didn't have a happy ending, which seemed to imply (infer? ;) something more portentous at the end than was the case. The ending is somewhat satisfying, neither happy nor unhappy. Somewhat mixed, and allows you to infer what happens after.

If I had anticipated the performances, my guesses would have been reversed. Matthew Broderick's heart didn't seem to be in the role, or else He just couldn't decide how to play it. He seemed to almost be 'phoning it in'.

Alice Eve's performance was the surprise for me. Her turn in Abrams' "Star Trek" was nothing special, but she seemed more invested in this part. Whether it was her director, or just growth as an actor I can't say. She seemed very 'in' her character. There was no scenery chewing, but there were lots of nice little nuances in her voice, her face, her eyes and her body language. I think she pretty much owned the film.