vmmvieira
I saw this movie in a festival 14 years ago. I was so disappointed and after all this time, I have not found a worst movie since... There are bad movies out there, that turn good again for their goofiness of silliness, but not this one.
I love John Turturro, and he did not perform badly. He was simply mismanaged. The story is really poor, and the storytelling poorer. The suppose plot-twist we can see it coming after 30 minutes, and when it happens, it is the gunshot that wakes you up form the seat. Literally. The whole movie theater was sleeping, and that gunshot woke them up.
The director had ideas and notions of grandeur that were lost in the most slow-paced movie I've seen, followed with uninteresting and disconnected cinematic tricks... Save yourself the from being woken up by an uncomfortable loud sound, and check something else.
LCShackley
I was drawn into this movie because of the moody atmosphere and the desire to see John Turturro's character resolve his personal mystery. He's a very interesting actor to watch because he's a bit off-beat and he knows how to use his face to reflect a wide range of emotions. (Watch him, for instance, in the scene where he views tapes of his wife's murder over and over.) As further elements were added to the film (the cop conspiracy) I thought, "OK, we're going to find out that the mystery is a really bigger thing than just a local accident." Although the idea of guys from Montana chasing a bad cop in Wisconsin seems a little far-fetched. But then the movie goes haywire and the director chickens out of a resolution with a lot of arty shots underscored by Brian Eno's typical hash of drones and blurps.I was not surprised to see at the end that this was a movie produced by a young European director, because there's a plague of them out there making senseless films (La Moustache, Saint-Ange, Cache, etc.) but hiding behind their pose as "auteurs." Maybe "hauteur" would be a more appropriate word. Directors who are funded by loads of EU organizations and don't have to rely on the free market dump out tons of garbage like this for the world to wonder at. If they had to compete in a Hollywood-style studio system they would be gone in a flash.Whatever you do, don't bother with this film. Like the French films I mentioned, the first hour leads you to believe that it might be worth watching. But it's not.
tigercat99
Some stylish photo. Some good acting. I'll give it that much. A script not very interested in other parts than the main character and then only to let you know he's obsessed, not to let you know him.The plot in itself may be clever -- I've read some of the other comments, references to other work seem plentiful -- or maybe it's just not clever at all and not complete. It doesn't say a thing. The pace is slow enough to give you plenty of time to try to figure out what's coming, ie figure out the plot. And if you do some figuring, you want an answer at the end. You don't get one. Lot's of threads left loose at the end. As if someone wrote a 3 hour script, then cut it down to 1,5.Or rather, to 1 hour. And filled the rest up by repeating some pretentious, simple out of plot thriller effects. They made my wife stop watching and go to bed, with a bored sigh. It could have been an OK low-key movie without this pret stuff and a bit more plot. Makes you think they couldn't come up with an end, "so let's make it incomprehensible instead".Some other comment says the movie requires you watch it a couple of times. Why should you?
nastypuppy
rented this movie cause blockbuster has a "special"> 3 for $5.99. anyway, the beginning was very brilliant. the brooding, grieving security guard was believably portrayed by john torturro. i could feel the grief driving him slowly insane. it was a very good portrayal of an introvert dealing with such a loss. the 1st hour or so i was riveted by his pain, but then something happened. i guess the director misplaced his notes or something but from the moment harry set foot in that sleazy hotel, the movie went soaring downhill. especially the part with the cops having their meeting to deal with peter killing harry's wife. peter was such a wuss! he wasn't believable as an assassin. too guilt ridden. but to me, this movie had an appropriate ending. he was dropped off at his car in the middle of no where, he tossed all those pics into the wind & then drove off into the sunset! he was finally free, he had revenge! he had an answer. what more of an ending was needed? the guy was a tortured soul & he was driving away to start fresh or become a serial cop killer. the end.
AD
