I thought I'd summarise what makes this film great.
1) Fantastic script interweaving several stories in and out of one another.
2) Great perfomance by Tom Cruise showing a range he's never shown before.
3) Packed with stories within stories involving conflict.
4) Great performance by Julianne Moore, as a guilt stricken wife of a dying husband.
5) Music provided by Aimme Mann gives an awesome background to the action.
6) A pefect surprise end to the film that makes the viewer just agree it's brilliant.
7) It feels like real life suddenly come to life.
If you need to see a film from the past, select Magnolia.