The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2009)

Original Title

Män som hatar kvinnor

Genre

Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Director

Niels Arden Oplev

Country

Sweden

Cast

Michael Nyqvist, Noomi Rapace, Lena Endre, Sven-Bertil Taube, Peter Haber, Peter Andersson, Marika Lagercrantz, Ingvar Hirdwall, Björn Granath, Ewa Fröling, Michalis Koutsogiannakis, Annika Hallin, Tomas Köhler, Gunnel Lindblom, Gösta Bredefeldt, Stefan Sauk, Jacob Ericksson, Sofia Ledarp

Storyline

After being sentenced to three months in prison for slendering a corrupt entrepreneur (Stefan Sauk), journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Michael Nyqvist) is hired by a wealthy industrialist (Sven-Bertil Taube) to find out who murdered his nice who disappeared 40 years earlier.

Opinion

Disappointment. That is what I usually experience after watching a film adapted from a book/novel I loved. And the more I love a book, the bigger the disappointment is. So since I loved Stieg Larsson's Millennium trilogy, I was expecting to be let down. Instead I was utterly shocked. Why? Because this version of "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" has to be one of the best adaptation ever made. But it's not just a great adaptation to a book I loved, it's also a captivating, absorbing thriller.

As I mentioned above, the film is very faithful to the book, and thank to its almost three hour length it manages to go deep and in detail, and its brilliant storytelling will keep you glue to the screen and entertained from start to finish, even though, like me, you have read the book. Or if you have seen the American movie starring Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara. However, there are some subplots that are left out - like Mikael's passion for women - but after all those plots are not that important, and it allows the film to focus on the main plot even more. But I do believe they brought up all the evil too soon.

As gripping and thrilling the story is, what I liked the most about Larsson's book is the characters, and I can't believe how well they are delivered by the film. There's good character development, and a great insight into the characters, especially Lisbeth, is given. You will definetly enjoy the characters on screen.

And this brings me to the casting. First, every single character looks just like I pictured them. Second, the actors all portray their characters in the right way. Especially the two leads, Michael Nyqvist who does a really good job in the role of Mikael Blomkvist - you will immediately sympathize with him - and Noomi Rapace who overshadows by miles Nyqvist delivering an outstanding performance as Lisbeth Salander.

At last but not least, the film also features a beautiful cinematography, stunning locations and a musical score that fits the story and adds tension.

Along Came a Spider (2001)

Genre

Crime | Drama | Thriller

Director

Lee Tamahori

Country

USA

Cast

Morgan Freeman, Monica Potter, Michael Wincott, Dylan Baker, Mika Boorem, Billy Burke, Anton Yelchin, Jay O. Sanders, Michael Moriarty, Penelope Ann Miller, Anna Maria Horsford

Storyline

Former detective and psychologist Alex Cross (Morgan Freeman) is drawn back to work when the daughter (Mika Boorem) of a senator (Michael Moriarty) is kidnapped and the kidnapper (Michael Wincott) seems to want to deal with Cross personally. 

Opinion

A while ago I watched "Alex Cross" and made me wonder how the original film with Morgan Freeman was like. So after finding a copy of it, I decided to give it a try, not letting other people and critics reviews bother me. I should have probably listen to that because "Along Came a Spider" is indeed a terrible thriller.

Even though it's nothing really new, the storyline is interesting and has quite a potential, and it would have turned out pretty well if it wasn't for the filmmakers constant attempts at making a film good as "Seven" or "The Usual Suspects". A simple story able to build up the tension until the end would have actually been great for this film. Instead they try to surprise us with so many not-so-smart plot twists. Sure, there's a big twist at the end, but I saw it coming.

I still haven't read the novel so I don't know who's fault is it, but another huge problem comes with the characters. There is no character development whatsoever, and I feel like the relationships between the characters should have been explored more. They are so shallow they barely makes any sense. A psychological examination would have really helped, even if that would have meant a longer running time.

The direction is awful, which seems pretty obvious considering Lee Tamahori directed it, but somehow the action scenes are quite good.

Then there is the wrong casting of Morgan Freeman. He is a good actor, and I really like him, but I believe the only reason he was cast is "Seven". However, Mr. Freeman does a really good job, excellent considering the poor material he had to work with. Monica Potter is, well, her acting abilities leave much to be desired, but at least Michael Wincott is decent.

Animal Kingdom (2010)

Genre

Crime | Drama | Thriller

Director

David Michôd

Country

Australia

Cast

James Frecheville, Ben Mendelsohn, Guy Pearce, Jacki Weaver, Joel Edgerton, Sullivan Stapleton, Luke Ford, Dan Wyllie, Anthony Hayes, Laura Wheelwright, Mirrah Foulkes, Justin Rosniak, Susan Prior, Clayton Jacobson, Anna Lise Phillips

Storyline

After his mother dies, seventeen year-old J Cody (James Frecheville) has no choice but to contact his maternal grandmother, Janine "Smurf" Cody (Jacki Weaver), who rules her criminal family with a borderline incestuos love over her three sons. Among blood brothers and blood, manipulated trial sand revenge served cold, J will soon lose his innocence.

Opinion

The extremely impressive debut from Australian director David Michôd, Animal Kingdom is a tense, gloomy, innovative and mesmerizing crime family drama.

In this bitter and dramatic film, Michôd tells the gangster life as if it was an animal kingdom, where the strongest, the one that eats the weakest wins, and also makes a criticism to those men - and women - who are neither men nor animals. He shows all this with a cynical eye, with no compassion, and wonderfully manages to convey violence without aestheticizing it. 

However, the moral condemnation aforementioned soon stops to make room for a world where no one is really good or bad. In fact, whether criminals or cops there is no difference: they all use others for their own ends. Only detective Leckie makes exception. 

Also, don't expect long shooting scenes, or robberies or car chases because there are none in Animal Kingdom, as the action is reduced to a minimum.

The films makes use of the minimalist synthesiser music from Antony Partos to create an air of dread and tension.

The cast is uniformly excellent. In his debut James Frecheville is basically a piece of wood as J (in a good way), he is in a constant catatonic state, seemingly frail and confused, Ben Mendelsohn delivers a convincing performance as terrifying psychopath Pope, Guy Pearce gives a wonderful and intense performance as detective Leckie, and Jacki Weaver gives a strong performance as Smurf, the matriarch of the family with the psychotic smiles. 

Eyes Wide Shut (1999)

Genre

Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Director

Stanley Kubrick

Country

UK | USA

Cast

Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, Sydney Pollack, Marie Richardson, Todd Field, Sky du Mont, Rade Šerbedžija, Vinessa Shaw, Fay Masterson, Leelee Sobieski, Alan Cumming, Leon Vitali, Julienne Davis, Thomas Gibson

Storyline

New York City doctor William Harford (Tom Cruise), who is married to art curator Alice (Nicole Kidman), pushes himself on a harrowing and dangerous night-long odyssey of sexual and moral discovery after his wife admits that she once almost cheated on him.

Opinion

Last night I finally saw Eyes Wide Shut, film that will always be remembered for being the last work of Stanley Kubrick, one of the greatest filmmakers in film history. Just like every film he has made, this one has caused some controversy, and, I am sorry to say it, it did really disappoint me.

Overlong, tedious, and uneventful most of the way, Eyes Wide Shut is a major disappointment, and the writing is to be blamed.

Based on Arthur Schnitzler's 'Traumnovelle', the concept behind the story - a husband and wife rediscovering their passion through sexual experimentation outside the marriage - is interesting. But the slow moving story as a whole isn't particularly involving, and fails to make the viewer feel sympathy for the protagonists and care for their marriage.

The way too verbose screenplay does not tell through images, but through mostly banal dialogue most of the events.

Also, the film adds little to the stories of love, sex and betrayal used out of proportion in the film industry, and the veil of mystery and ambiguity that covers the film is not enough to save it.

Despite everything, the touch of Kubrick is there and you can feel it in the disturbing and creepy orgy scene, that shows perversion, and the negative side to lush without falling into pornography.

Fine acting from Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, Sydney Pollack and Marie Richardson, but the upsetting thing is that there is no chemistry between Cruise and Kidman, and they were even married at the time.

Quotes

Dr. Bill Harford: No dream is ever just a dream.

A Perfect Murder (1998)

Genre

Crime | Drama | Thriller

Director

Andrew Davis

Country

USA

Cast

Michael Douglas, Gwyneth Paltrow, Viggo Mortensen, David Suchet, Sarita Choudhury, Michael P. Moran, Novella Nelson, Constance Towers, David Eigenberg, Will Lyman, Maeve McGuire, Stephen Singer, Adrian Martinez, Laurinda Barrett, Aideen O'Kelly, Reed Birney, Robert Vincent Smith

Storyline

When millionaire industrialist Steven Taylor (Michael Douglas) learns that his wife Emily (Gwyneth Paltrow) is having an affair and is in love with an artist, David (Viggo Mortensen), he approaches the man and sets out to commit the perfect murder. Unfortunately for Steven, the perfect plan doesn't go as planned. 

Opinion

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

I know I should have watched Hitchcock's first, but I think this way I'll be able to give the film an impartial review. And it really needs one.

Atrociously written, A Perfect Murder is an average thriller whose only source of suspense is the tons of surprise events. 

Spending time and money trying to make a beautiful looking film populated with good actors doesn't have a point if you don't take some time for the writing, which is the most important part. And here, the lack of a good script pops out like an oasis in a desert.

The film starts promisingly but then it bumps into a series of unfortunate events. 

First let's talk about plot holes. Why would Emily leave a hot bath to answer the phone? I would never do that. Why is Steven so easily dismissed as a suspect? The phone call doesn't prove he didn't hire someone to do the dirty work. Why does it matter than Emily's ring his in David's loft? If he blackmailed Steven, I suppose he would have copies of those photos. And lastly, when Steven and David meet in Washington Square Park, David says "commemorative copy", which basically sells out the ending.

The characters are another major issue. I don't know if this was just me, or the director wanted it to happen, but I've found myself cheering for Douglas's character. I know he was the villain, but I really wanted him to get away with the murder(s). Maybe it's also the fault of Paltrow's unlikable characters. Also, I don't get why we need to know Emily speaks all those languages. But the real problem is the detective. The way he is introduced suggests that he'll have an important role, but then he disappears, only to appear again later, only for a moment.

Michael Douglas once again proves what an actor he is, and deserves all the credits for making you feel sympathy for his character. Gwyneth Paltrow gives a quite convincing performance as Emily. Viggo Mortensen is also good in the role of the artist/lover. But, pairing Michael Douglas and Gwyneth Paltrow as the leads was not a good idea. There is no chemistry between them. Same goes for Paltrow and Mortensen, as their love affair doesn't exactly transpire passion.

Pride and Glory (2008)

Genre

Crime | Drama | Thriller

Director

Gavin O'Connor

Country

USA | Germany

Cast

Edward Norton, Colin Farrell, Jon Voight, Noah Emmerich, Shea Whigham, Frank Grillo, John Ortiz, Manny Perez, Lake Bell, Rick Gonzalez, Christina Cabot, Jennifer Ehle, Declan Quinn

Storyline

Honest homicide detective Ray Tierney (Edward Norton) is assigned to investigate the death of four cops of the precinct run by his potentially crooked older brother Francis (Noah Emmerich). As the investigation begins to reveal some troubling facts about the precinct, it gradually becomes apparent that Jimmy Egan, the policeman who is also Tierney's brother-in-law, may be the man orchestrating many of the suspected crimes.

Opinion

Edward Norton has long been one of my favourite actors, and even though he hasn't chosen particularly good projects lately, I decided to give this film a try, also because it stars Colin Farrell too, another of my favourite actors. Well, they didn't disappoint me, but the film, what to say about it.

Atrociously written, predictable, tedious, and tenseless, Pride and Glory is a complete mess, hard to watch, and hard to follow.

First of all the length. This film could have been easily a half hour shorter: maybe the result would have been better that way.

The writing is an absolute disaster. The storyline is good, but it's unbelievable how terribly it has been developed. The story jumps from place to place until it makes no more sense. Some parts are completely useless, such as the football game at the beginning - was it supposed to make you think Jimmy Egan is a good guy? I don't know.

The good cop/bad cop story slowly turns into a family drama. The dying wife is a good motivator, but we don't need to see so much of her story, same goes with Jimmy as a family man. Also, every single character has an emotional breakdown. 

The dialogue completely lacks intelligence. Basically everybody swears. Then there's Spanish. There are some scenes where they talk in Spanish, but no subtitles are given. I understand a little bit of Spanish, but I know how frustrating can be watching something and having no clue of what their saying.

The up and down camera movements are annoying, and the editing is another big fail - the constant switching between the game and black screen in the opening isn't good to look at. So basically the film is just flat until Sage Francis's Waterline over the closing credits.

The acting is good though. Edward Norton and Colin Farrell both give a strong performance. But I have to say that Farrell sounds a bit Irish here and there, and he wasn't the right guy to play the tough cop - come on, Farrell willing to burn a baby for information is the less credible thing on this planet. Noah Emmerich and Jon Voight do a good job.

The Departed (2006)

Genre

Crime | Drama | Thriller

Director

Martin Scorsese

Country

USA

Cast

Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, Mark Wahlberg, Martin Sheen, Vera Farmiga, Ray Winstone, Alec Baldwin, Anthony Anderson, James Badge Dale, David O'Hara, Mark Rolston, Kevin Corrigan, John Cenatiempo, Armen Garo, Robert Wahlberg, Kristen Dalton, Conor Donovan

Storyline

In South Boston, the state police force is waging war on Irish American organized crime. Young undercover cop Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio) is assigned to infiltrate the mob syndicate run by gangland chief Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson). While Billy quickly gains Costello's confidence, Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon), a hardened young criminal who has infiltrated the state police as an informer for the syndicate, is rising to a position of power in the Special Investigation Unit.

Opinion

Remake of the Hong Kong 2002 film Infernal Affairs, The Departed is a brilliant and engaging film, filled with action, suspense and black humour, which offers food for thought on honesty, betrayal, good and evil.

Protagonist of the film is the eternal fight between good and evil, and as happens in real life is not always easy to distinguish one from the other. Actually these two entities are so close that it's almost impossible to see them as two separate notions.

The good, played by Leonardo DiCaprio's Costigan, is dirty outside but clean inside. The evil, on the other side, played by Matt Damon's Sullivan, is capable of living among us well disguised, and knows how to act in the land of lies, and feels at ease.  This is what misleads us, human beings, and the reason why we are fascinated by people like Sullivan, and afraid of people like Costigan. I'd say don't judge a book by its cover, but as my literature teacher always said, "Leave the commonplaces to the mass".

Martin Scorsese has left the bloody, gloomy New York for a bold Boston with a great desire to show off his talent, and he wonderfully succeeded. In fact, with a simple plot and almost two hours and a half to fill, he was able to keep the viewer's interest and to keep up the suspense. There is a but though. Those who know Tarantino, and have seen Reservoir Dogs will find many of their elements. The mole, the betrayal, the impossibility to distinguish good from evil, and the Shakespearean finale where everyone dies. About the ending, it didn't really convince me. It feels forced, with the purpose of pleasing the audience and bringing back balance between good and evil.

Screenwriter William Monahan follows the structure of Infernal Affairs, but added lot of depth to the characters, and put down on paper a better dialogue. 

The acting is first class. Grown up, hefty but still with a baby face,  Leonardo DiCaprio gives a wonderful performance as Billy Costigan. Matt Damon does a great job out of his comfort zone as Sullivan. Devilish Jack Nicholson is huge as usual, and steals the scene, even though he doesn't much in the film. Mark Wahlberg should have had more screen time, but shines between a f**k and another. Great performances also from Alec Baldwin, Martin Sheen and Vera Farmiga.

Quotes

Frank Costello: When you decide to be something, you can be it. That's what they don't tell you in the church. When I was your age they would say we can become cops, or criminals. Today, what I'm saying to you is this: when you're facing a loaded gun, what's the difference?

True Story (2015)

Genre

Drama | Thriller

Director

Rupert Goold

Country

USA

Cast

Jonah Hill, James Franco, Felicity Jones, Connor Kikot, Gretchen Mol, Betty Gilpin, John Sharian, Robert Stanton, Maria Dizzia, Genevieve Angelson, Dana Eskelson, Joel Garland, Rebecca Henderson, Charlotte Driscoll

Storyline

When disgraced New York Times reporter Michael Finkel (Jonah Hill) meets accused killer Christian Longo (James Franco), who has taken on Finkel's identity, Mike's investigation morphs into an unforgettable game of cat-and-mouse.

Opinion

Jonah Hill and James Franco working together in a film that is not a comedy was against the odds, but happened, and the result, regardless of what critics said, is pretty good.

Beautifully shot, True Story is a slow, yet intriguing thriller, filled with twists and excellent performances.

For being his theatrical directorial debut, Rupert Goold did a quite good job. The film is well paced, and even though it feels like a feature-length episode of Law & Order and has its ups and downs, keeps the viewer interested.

The hardest part to review is the writing. When it comes to films based on real events, it's harder to say what has been done wrong, and could have been done better, or what has been done in a good way, due the fact that they story doesn't come from somebody's imagination, but is the outcome of someone's actions. Having said so, I think Goold and David Kajganich did a pretty good job with the script.

The film superficially examines the issue of journalistic integrity, but, through two different yet similar men - they are both frauds who have more in common with each other than it would seem -, shows how emotions can distort reasoning and blur the truth.

I'm not crazy about Jonah Hill but he does a great job portraying the journalist looking for his lifetime scoop. James Franco is just wonderful as the murdered. I was expecting the two of them pulling off a joke sooner or later, but I'm glad they didn't. Felicity Jones also gives a solid performance, her American accents is good, and that's a great scene the one with Franco.

Quotes

Christian Longo: Sometimes the truth isn't believable. But that doesn't mean that it's not true.

Christian Longo: Sometimes you have to accept looking one way in order to protect something more important.

The Name of the Rose (1986)

Original Titles

Il nome della rosa, Der Name der Rose, Le nom de la rose

Genre

Crime | Mystery | Thriller

Director

Jean-Jacques Annaud

Country

Italy | West Germany | France

Cast

Sean Connery, F. Murray Abraham, Christian Slater, Helmut Qualtinger, Elya Baskin, Michael Lonsdale, Volker Prechtel, Feodor Chaliapin Jr., William Hickey, Michael Habeck, Urs Althaus, Valentina Vargas, Ron Perlman, Leopoldo Trieste, Franco Valobra, Vernon Dobtcheff, Donal O'Brien, Andrew Birkin, Lucien Bodard, Peter Berling, Pete Lancaster, Dwight Weist

Storyline

When a murder occurs at a secluded Benedictine Abbey, monk William of Baskerville (Sean Connery) is called in to investigate. As he and his apprentice, Adso von Melk (Christian Slater), delve deeper and deeper into the case, more dead bodies begin to turn up.

Opinion

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

Freely based on Umberto Eco's novel of the same name, The Name of the Rose is a dark and moody mystery film that may fail in keeping you interested if you have read the book.

Despite all the differences between the book and the film, the story is well told, and does not bore. However, I had some hard time processing some things. I'll start with the ending. I don't like the Hollywood fairytale, the "and they lived happily ever after" bullshit, because it's not how the story was supposed to end. In the book, there was a real hell on earth and that's was I was expecting. Another annoying thing is that the bad guys, or villains - I don't really know how to call them - are all portrayed like completely evil people. Eco blurred the line between good and evil, as evil can come from good, and  vice versa. And at last, the meaning of the title. The film makes you think it refers to the girl, if not for the Latin locution - stat rosa pristina nomine, nomina nuda tenemus, the ancient rose remains by its name, naked names are all that we have.

While the wonderful citations from the novel got lost in this cinematic adaptation, the gloomy atmosphere is spot on. First of all everything looks and sounds medieval - and being a lover of the Middle Ages, watching this has been a great pleasure and experience. Second, the cinematography by Tonino Delli Colli is wonderful. Despite the darkness, it finds the perfect glimmers of light to illuminate the faces.

The characters. Beside from the English monk with a Scottish accent and Sherlock Holmes's mind, the most impressive is Jorge. On one hand he is afraid of Aristotle's second book of poetics, and would like to destroy it; on the other hand he is sentimental about it, he realises that no matter how sinful the book is, it's just too precious to be destroyed.

Many strong performances make the film entertaining, and definitely worth watching, from Sean Connery's excellent portrayal of William of Baskerville, to Ron Perlman's outstanding portrayal of the heretical hunchback. However, F. Murray Abraham's talent is wasted.

Overall the film represents a good effort, but the book is way far more satisfying. 

Quotes

William of Baskerville: The only evidence I see of the antichrist here is everyone's desire to see him at work.

The Disappearance of Alice Creed (2009)

Genre

Crime | Thriller

Director

J Blakeson

Country

UK

Cast

Martin Compston, Eddie Marsan, Gemma Arterton

Storyline

Two criminals, Vic (Eddie Marsan) and Danny (Martin Compston), kidnap Alice Creed (Gemma Arterton), the daughter of a millionaire. The kidnappers have worked out a meticulous plan: will it work?

Opinion

Months ago I was asked to review this film, and since it was on TV last night I took the chance right away. The reviews were promising and the film started well, but I didn't like it as much as I thought I would have.

The Disappearance of Alice Creed is a quite entertaining crime flick, with lots of attempts at tension, but exaggerates with plot twists.

The idea to set the film entirely in the places of the kidnapping, the choice of focusing on the psyche of the kidnappers and the kidnapped and putting aside the family and the investigation is excellent. Also, the film manages to avoid to fall into the clichéd kidnappings territory: there is no torture; the victim is humiliated though.

What really bothered me were the twists. Usually a plot twist serves as a mean to keep the viewer engaged and interested in what he is seeing. That's what happens in the first part of the film. But in the second part, there are way too many twists, they lose effectiveness, and it looks like the Blakeson didn't know how to fill the time. Also, as the film goes on, the twists are predictable and the level of engagement falls. Not to mention the disappointing ending.

Also there is what I like to call the Clark Kent effect. Everybody knows that Clark Kent takes off his glasses when turning into Superman. And everybody also knows that none of the people he knows does recognize him. The same thing happened here. At some point it transpires that two of the characters knew each other, but how didn't recognize each other from their voices?

Gemma Arterton is more than just a pretty face and she shows it with a great performance. Eddie Marsan is great as always. Martin Compston gets way too much screen time and he is not that good.

A Most Wanted Man (2014)

Genre

Crime | Drama | Thriller

Director

Anton Corbijn

Country

UK | USA | Germany

Cast

Philip Seymour Hoffman, Rachel McAdams, Willem Dafoe, Robin Wright, Grigoriy Dobrygin, Derya Alabora, Daniel Brühl, Nina Hoss, Herbert Grönemeyer, Martin Wuttke, Kostja Ullmann, Homayoun Ershadi, Mehdi Dehbi Vicky Krieps, Rainer Bock, Charlotte Schwab

Storyline

When a half-Chechen, half-Russian, brutally tortured immigrant (Grigoriy Dobrygin) turns up in Hamburg's Islamic community, laying claim to his father's ill gotten fortune, both German and US security agencies take a close interest: as the clock ticks down and the stakes rise, the race is on to establish this most wanted man's true identity - oppressed victim or destruction-bent extremist?

Opinion

Based on John le Carrè's novel of the same name, A Most Wanted Man is a thoughtful spy thriller that includes one of the greatest, and sadly the last of Philip Seymour Hoffman's performances.

Instead of the classic action spy story, the film faces with an introspective view on espionage, showing a reconstruction of the investigation, allowing the viewer to know how security agencies work, and which methods spies use to reach to their purpose - methods that sometimes encroach on illegality.

Despite the slow pacing, director Anton Corbijn perfectly manages to keep the tension high, and the audience engaged. Like the spy, the viewer will follow the investigation step by step, getting more and more engaged as the film goes on.

Alongside the tension filled plot, there is a witty dialogue - I would have appreciated some subs because the accents and all spoken dialogue were a bit too difficult to follow. Among the characters, Hoffman's is the layered and most interesting one. The relationship between the young lawyer played by Rachel McAdams and the Chechen Issa could have been interesting if better developed.

The outstanding cinematography by Benoît Delhomme delivers a wide range of feelings. The musical score by Herbert Grönemeyer is great.

Philip Seymour Hoffman is huge. Scruffy and sweaty - probably due to his malaise -, he looks more than comfortable in the main character's shoes. Every single scene he is in shines like the sun.
Willem Dafoe steals every scene he's in - except those shared with Hoffman. Rachel McAdams, Robin Wright and Daniel Brühl are decent in their roles. I was delighted to see Nina Hoss; unfortunately her performance wasn't up to my excitement.

Quotes

Dieter Mohr: After 24 hours of questioning, Karpov confessed to taking part in attacks on gas pipelines, transport, infrastructure, police stations.

Irna Frey: After 24 hours of Russian questioning, any one of us would admit to anything.

The Double (2013)

Genre

Comedy | Drama | Thriller

Director

Richard Ayoade

Country

UK

Cast

Jesse Eisenberg, Mia Wasikowska, Wallace Shawn, Noah Taylor, Yasmin Paige, Cathy Moriarty, Phyllis Somerville, James Fox, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, Tony Rohr, Susan Blommaert, Jon Korkes, Tim Key, Lloyd Woolf, Lydia Ayoade, Sally Hawkins, J Mascis, Christopher Morris, Chris O'Dowd, Craig Roberts, Kierston Wareing, Jeanie Gold, Paddy Considine, Gemma Chan, Rade SErbedzija, Catherine Delaloye, Georgie-May Tearle

Storyline

Simon (Jesse Eisenberg) is a timid man, scratching out an isolated existence in an indifferent world. He is overlooked at work, scorned by his mother, and ignored by the woman of his dreams. He feels powerless to change any of these things. The arrival of a new co-worker, James, serves to upset the balance. James is both Simon's exact physical double and his opposite - confident, charismatic and good with women. To Simon's horror, James slowly starts taking over his life.

Opinion

If David Lynch and Terry Gilliam had a baby, and that baby made a film, this is exactly what it would look like.

Feeling like an avant-garde Fight Club, The Double is an interesting, very odd, dark, a little depressing, and slow psychological comedy thriller.

What is that great about this film? I don't know. As said before, this film is weird. It is hard to understand at first, then it feels a little confused, and that requires you to pay lot of attention to get it. Also, if you do pay attention, you still will be confused, feeling like there is some stronger message behind it, and still don't get it. Still there's something that fascinates me about it. I can't tell what.

It doesn't have much of a plot, nothing much happens in the film, it isn't much detailed, many things are not explained, still it somehow manages to be entertaining, engaging and deliver some thrills. The ending is a bit predictable though.

Richard Ayoade's art-house direction is the strongest element. Jumping from one image to the next really emphasised the disjointed character(s). Also, I enjoyed the sound of footsteps not stopping when people stopped walking. The cinematography was beautiful, and the musical score nailed it.

Jesse Eisenberg really carries the film well, keeping the viewer entertained, and delivers his best performance since The Social Network. The scene when he talks to himself are priceless. Mia Wasikowska also delivers a great performance as love interest Hannah. However, she didn't have much of a chemistry with the Eisenbergs.

Quotes

Simon: I don't know how to be myself. It's like I'm permanently outside myself. Like, like you could push your hands straight through me if you wanted to. And I can see the type of man I want to be versus the type of man I actually am and I know that I'm doing it but I'm incapable of what needs to be done. I'm like Pinocchio, a wooden boy. Not a real boy. And it kills me.

Child of God (2013)

Genre

Drama | Thriller

Director

James Franco

Country

USA

Cast

Scott Haze, Tim Blake Nelson, James Franco Jim Parrack, Jeremy Ambler, Fallon Goodson, Vince Jolivette, Brian Lally, Nina Ljeti, Boyd Smith, Terrance Huff, Nathan Mohebbi

Storyline

A dispossessed, violent man's life is a disastrous attempt to exist outside the social order. Successively deprived of parents and homes and with few other ties, Ballard (Scott Haze) descends literally and figuratively to the level of a cave dweller as he falls deeper into crime and degradation.

Opinion

Recently James Franco has been acting like he is some kind of god, great at anything. I'm his fan, but I can't see all that genius.

Slow-like-a-sloth paced, Child of God is an ambitious but failed attempt to bring Cormac McCarthy's novel to the screen, that fails in being engaging, but succeeds in being an embarrassing adaptation. Essentially, The Coen Bros only should bring to the screen McCarthy's novels.

James Franco's direction is terrible. If I didn't know it, I'd say this was his directorial debut, given the poorly handheld shots, particularly at the beginning of the film. The editing also is not that good, with too many scenes fading into black.

The writing is awful. Franco had some big troubles with bringing the source material to the big screen, and he ended up destroying it. Not much happens in here besides from necrophilia, and glorification of taking lives - and the biggest problem is that the film didn't manage to convey horror, and disgust, at least for me. Ballard, the lead character is not engaging, and we don't empathize with him, because we don't get his backstory, or any reason to care about him. The end leaves a lot to the imagination, and as the screen eventually turns black, you will only fell sorry for the tiger and the teddy bear.

Along all that black yin, there is also a little white spot of yang. The musical score is lovely, the font's choice for the titles is great, and Scott Haze is absolutely brilliant as Ballard. He delivers a hell of a performance, visceral, raw, and disturbing.

Watch this only if you are interested in anything McCarthy related, or you really love Franco.

The Sixth Sense (1999)

Genre

Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Director

M. Night Shyamalan

Country

USA

Cast

Bruce Willis, Haley Joel Osment, Toni Collette, Olivia Williams, Donnie Wahlberg, Glenn Fitzgerald, Mischa Barton, Trevor Morgan, Bruce Norris, Angelica Page, Greg Wood, M. Night Shyamalan, Peter Tambakis, Jeffrey Zubernis

Storyline

Malcolm Crowe (Bruce Willis), a successful child psychiatrist, takes on the task to help a terrified boy (Haley Joel Osment) who seems to be plagued by visions of ghosts. 

Opinion

Since this film has been spoiled everywhere - other films, TV shows, songs -, it has been hard to not think about the final twist for the whole film. However, it successfully managed to entertain me. A lot actually.

The Sixth Sense is fuelled by suspense, but also is has some humor, and some moving scenes - the final scene of the dialogue between the child and his mother brought me to tears, and I don't believe in that kind of thing.

M. Night Shyamalan managed to created a great mix of thriller and horror, but surprisingly the dialogue takes over on the blood, basically inexistent. The music by James Newton Howard and the ambience created by the director make the film very suggestive.

The writing is wonderful, and the final proves Shyamalan is a genius. Going back to the final twist - don't worry, I won't reveal it - it is cleverly camouflaged into the story; still paying attention to every single little detail, it is a puzzle that can be solved.

The acting. Bruce Willis gives one of the best performances of his career as the child psychologist. However, Haley Joel Osment is the real deal here. He delivers such a powerful performance as Cole Sear, the child who sees dead people. Toni Collette is wonderful as the suffering mother worried about her child.

Quotes

Cole Sear: I see dead people.

Malcolm Crowe: In your dreams?

[Cole shakes his head no]

Malcolm Crowe: While you're awake?

[Cole nods]

Malcolm Crowe: Dead people like, in graves? In coffins?

Cole Sear: Walking around like regular people. They don't see each other. They only see what they want to see. They don't know they're dead.

Malcolm Crowe: How often do you see them?

Cole Sear: All the time. They're everywhere.

Slow West (2015)

Genre

Action | Thriller | Western

Director

John Maclean

Country

UK | New Zealand

Cast

Kodi Smit-McPhee, Michael Fassbender, Ben Mendelsohn, Caren Pistorius, Rory McCann

Storyline

At the end of the nineteenth century, 16-year-old Jay Cavendish (Kodi Smit-McPhee) journeys across the American frontier in search of the woman he loves. He is joined by Silas (Michael Fassbender), a mysterious traveler, and hotly pursued by an outlaw along the way.

Opinion

Maybe it's because I'm a die-hard Fassbender fan, but he is always worth watching, even if the film is bad. I am not a great connoisseur of Western - I've watched Sergio Leone's "Once Upon a Time in the West" and "For a Few Dollars More", and Kevin Costner's "Dances with Wolves" only - but until now I loved them. This one is no different.

Slow paced as the title suggests, Slow West is a bizarre, captivating, funny, touching and violent Western road trip that confirms John Maclean as a big talent.

British director and writer John Maclean, through the eyes of naive dreamer Jay, tells a beautiful story, with a memorable ending, about the violence in the New World, cynicism, and money rush that involves everybody, both natives and immigrants. Also, he manages to balance life and death with some great comedic elements. 

There is no much character development, but considering the great result achieved, I don't feel like complaining about it.

Filmed in New Zealand, the scenography lacks in Canyons, and provides a sense of loss, yet the spectacular landscapes give you hope. The cinematography by Robbie Ryan is great, and the musical score by Jed Kurzel blends with the film.

The acting is sublime. Michael Fassbender, both leading character and narrator, delivers another wonderful performance - he has improved his American accents a lot since "12 Years a Slave" - and his humour perfectly fits the character and this road trip. Kodi Smit-McPhee does a fantastic job in the other leading role. However, the most memorable is Caren Pistorius as the beautiful Rose. She does not have lot of screen time, but she is in the frame she captures your full attention.

Michael Fassbender once said, "The great thing about doing independent films is that they move fast, and I like that. I like the speed, and having to be on your toes...The little films need the big films to do well because they are dependent on getting that money. "Frank" gets made because I do something like "X-Men: First Class" or "Prometheus". I don't think thanking him from the bottom of my heart will be enough. 

Quotes

Silas: That kid was a wonder. He saw things differently. To him, we were in a land of hope and good will. 

Oldboy (2003)

Original Title

올드보이 Oldeuboi

Genre

Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Director

Park Chan-wook

Country

South Korea

Cast

Choi Min-sik, Yoo Ji-tae, Kang Hye-jung, Kim Byeong-ok, Oh Tae-kyung, Ahn Yeon-seok, Woo Il-han, Yoon Jin-seo, Oh Dal-su

Storyline

One day, for reasons he doesn't understand, Oh Dae-su (Choi Min-sik) is kidnapped and imprisoned. After 15 years behind bars, he is released, only to find that he must find his kidnapper in 5 days. 

Opinion

Since many years have passed, I don't remember how I ended up watching this film. But I do remember exactly how I felt while and after watching it, and I can assure you, I feel the same way every single time I watch it. And if I thought it was a good film back then, I do now think it is one of the best films ever made.

Oldboy is a tremendous, intense, dark, brutal, strange, sick, disturbing, raw, yet sweet, humorous, moving, and visionary story of vengeance.

This Korean gem is one of those films that stuck with you, and doesn't really leave you, whether you like it or not. It is memorable both in its violence and its sweetness. Just think of the brutal, choreographic corridor fight scene, the quite disturbing scene in which Choi Min-sik eats the live octopus - he actually did it -, or the scene in the train with the big ant, or the sweet moments of love, that first get stuck in your mind, and then, after the shocking discovery, disturb you and kinda make you feel disgusted. 

Park Chan-wook did a wonderful job both at directing and co-writing the screenplay with Hwang Jo-yoon and Im Joon-hyeong, based on the Japanese manga of the same name written by Nobuaki Minegishi (story by Garon Tsuchiya).

If you look beyond the violence, you can see much more: wonderful cinematography, sublime musical score, great plot, and at last, but not least, first class acting.

Choi Min-sik is perfect as the revengeful Oh Dae-su, delivering a powerful and emotional performance, and domination every single scene he is in - basically he is a sort of Korean Patrick Bateman/Christian Bale (American Psycho). All the other characters are very well portrayed by an amazing supporting cast, among which Yoo Ji-tae stands out.

Quotes

Oh Dae-su: If they had told me it was going to be fifteen years, would it have been easier to endure?

Oh Dae-su: Even though I'm no more than a monster - don't I, too, have the right to live?

Oh Dae-su: Laugh and the world laughs with you. Weep and you weep alone.

Lee Woo-jin: Remember this: "Be it a rock or a grain of sand, in water they sink as the same."

Shutter Island (2010)

Genre

Mystery | Thriller

Director

Martin Scorsese

Country

USA

Cast

Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, Max von Sydow, Michelle Williams, Emily Mortimer, Patricia Clarkson, Jackie Earle Haley, Ted Levine, John Carroll Lynch, Elias Koteas, Jill Larson, Ken Cheeseman, Ruby Jerins, Robin Bartlett, Christopher Denham, Matthew Cowles

Storyline

In 1954, Federal Marshal Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his new partner, Chuck (Mark Ruffalo), travel to Shutter Island to investigate the disappearance of a patient, Rachel Solando (Emily Mortimer). As Teddy quizzes Dr. Cawley (Ben Kingsley), the head of the institution, he begins to suspect that the authorities in charge might not be giving him the whole truth, and that a terrible fate may befall all the patients in the spooky Ward C, a unit devoted to the most heinous of the hospital's inmates.

Opinion

Based on Dennis Lehane's fantastic novel, Shutter Island is a great psychological thriller - indeed one of the best after "The Silence of Lambs" - that finally manages to scare you, not because it has some sadistic person, but because it really messes with you.

The brilliant story gathers memories, visions, and paranoia, to arrive at the final twist, though not very unpredictable if you have seen films such as "The Sixth Sense" or "The Others".

Director Martin Scorsese perfectly recreates the dark atmosphere of the island, relying also on the stunning, and gloomy cinematography by Robert Richardson, on the high tension that keeps you company throughout the film - clearly influenced by Alfred Hitchcock -, and on the music perfectly chosen to increase the sense of mystery.

Unfortunately, while on one hand, Scorsese puts the audience in the position of accepting reality for what it is, as brutal it may be, on the other hand, among the detailed memories, there are also the corpses in the snow, in the Dachau concentration camp. Now the problem is that somebody may think - some people actually think that already - that the horrors of World War II never happened, and that they are the result of mental insanity.

However, the acting is excellent. Leonardo DiCaprio gives a spectacular performance - once again not recognized in an appropriate way. The supporting cast is also terrific. Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, Max von Sydow, Michelle Williams, Jackie Earle Haley, Patricia Clarkson, Emily Mortimer, Ted Levine, they all are.

Mention-Worthy Quotes

Teddy Daniels: Which would be worse - to live as a monster, or to die as a good man?

Dr. Jeremiah Naehring: Did you know that the word 'trauma' comes from the Greek for 'wound'? Hm? And what is the German word for 'dream'? Traum. Ein Traum. Wounds can create monsters, and you, you are wounded, Marshal.