I saw it recently as well and had a similar reaction. The acting was solid. The story was written to appeal to Hollywood. Trying to stay as a-political as possible (and you all know I'm a pinko anyway), writing a story about immigration enforcement as a fascist paramilitary (or just military) organization, working in parallel with white supremacists, and continuing over a period of decades was sure to appeal to the Academy. There were good action scenes, a few good heart-strings moments, some "diversity," a clever little twist (although it wasn't hard to see it coming), and it was splashed with A-list actors doing quality work. Oscar bait. But was it the best picture of the year? I doubt it. It wasn't for me. I didn't love Sinners or Frankenstein, but I thought both were at least as good if not better than this one. I haven't seen the others, so who's to say?
