21.   But by the end, the film takes a surprisingly realistic, tough-minded turn.

22.   But in the second half, when he gets to show a tender side, the film takes on some of the charm it could have had throughout.

23.   But the chemistry is so lifeless between the leads, the film never takes off.

24.   But once the film takes partisan sides and discourse devolves into speechifying, the good times come to an end.

25.   But the film definitely takes off in its second half.

26.   But the film does not take advantage of its many opportunities for voyeurism or violence.

27.   But the film never takes on the inexorable momentum of the best noirs.

28.   But the film took a long time to make and went through many other writers after Lonergan.

29.   But the hokum is powerfully countered by the graphic verisimilitude of the battle scenes, and by any number of jabs the film takes at the American government.

30.   But when a comic film takes off, the distributors will do everything possible to push it overseas.