For an actor with such a mysterious, lone-methody-wolf reputation, Robert De Niro often seems to do his best work when facing off against an even more volatile presence. (Think Pesci in Goodfellas, the highly caffeinated Keitel in Taxi Driver, or Pacino chewing up great swaths of scenery and unwary extras in Heat.) The grim and gritty character drama Stone finds De Niro more focused and on the ball than he's been in years, with a terrific, imploding performance as an outwardly staid, inwardly roiling prison official. That said, he's not even the best thing about the picture.

Working from a script by Junebug's Angus MacLachlan, John Curran's film focuses on the shifting power struggle between De Niro and an unrepentant arsonist (a cornrowed Edward Norton, going deceptively Zen) up for parole review. As the convict's situation becomes increasingly dire, his het up wife (Milla Jovovich) does what she can to step in and seal the deal. It's a classic noir setup, which makes it both admirable and slightly disappointing when Curran chooses to go in a more enigmatic direction late in the game, leaving some plot details unresolved in favor of a more art-housey obliqueness. The results are often mesmerizing, particularly when the actors' dueling glowers are backed by the atonal score (from the uncredited Jon Brion and Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood). Those looking for tidy closures, however, may be frustrated.

The best reason to see Stone, really, comes from Jovovich, who takes her opportunity to ditch the zombies and square off against the A-listers and absolutely wallops it out of the park. Without ever quite letting you see her act, she goes beyond the standard sexpot template and creates a giggly schemer both surprised and blissed out on her own powers of riling men up. Somewhere in the hereafter, Stanwyck, Dietrich, and other femme fatales of note are tipping their highball glasses in salute.