Reviews

I am judging this movie without having read the novel (and of course, the movie should stand on its own). I'd say that this is really a B-movie about a psychopathic criminal, albeit a good B-movie. Javier Bardem is wonderful as a psychopathic killer. He is scary as hell, with his bizarre weapon: an air gun (typically used to kill cattle). The best part of the movie is the cat and mouse game between Bardem and Brolin. Bardem is very intelligent (as psychopaths usually are), but Brolin is pretty smart himself. Of course, the big mistake Brolin makes is that he thinks he can actually pull it off to steal 2 million dollars from Bardem. Bardem portrays an exceptionally interesting psychopath, but I have seen too many psychopath movies to really appreciate it. Woody Harrelson is also wonderful as a bad-ass bounty-hunter. It was really a shame that he was killed prematurely. The epilogue by Sheriff Tommy Lee Jones suggests a deeper meaning in all the events. He feels deeply frustrated by the injustice that the psychopath Javier Bardem is still a free man. The movie ends with the sheriff trying to come to terms with his lack of power to catch Bardem. I don't share the sheriff's pessimism. A person like Bardem leaving such a bloody trial would soon make it to the "most wanted list" and the feds would pull out all resources to catch a guy like that. In the whole movie it seems like just the sheriff and his dimwit deputy who are looking for Bardem.

When a man (Hopkins) kills his wife it seems like a slam-dunk case for the ambitious prosecutor (Ryan Gosling), whose mind is already set on his next lucrative lawyer job. But, in Columbo-style, Hopkins does not play his cards until in the courtroom, and it looks as if he may get away with it. This embarrassment even threatens Gosling's current and future job. It becomes a match between the cool-headed "Hannibal"-like genius Hopkings, and the smart and ambitious Gosling who takes Hopkins' bate. Gosling is willing to risk his career to put Hopkins behind bars.

The main question is: what happened to the murder weapon? A mix up with cell phones provides the answer.

But even when Gosling figures out how Hopkins did it, he cannot be tried twice, because of the double jeopardy law....

Who will have the last laugh? Watch and you'll find out. I found the ending rather pleasing, logical but somewhat unexpected.

This is a very powerful movie and probably the most depressing one I have ever seen (but in a good way).

The movie follows four characters, each with their own dreams. But the dreams turn into nightmares as they lose to their addictions.

Because of the unique style of the director, the viewer experiences everything first-hand. We see the terrifying hallucinations of Sara, as she is overdosing on her weight-loss pills. You feel losing the sense of time when Harry, Marion and Tyrone are scoring.

You simply cannot be an independent observer of the suffering of the 4 characters. Instead you will feel a sense of surrealism and despair and you cannot snap out of it. I think this is what makes this movie so powerful.

Of course there is no happy ending. All characters end up in different places, in their own private hells. As the movies ends, each one moves into a fetus position, being in total despair and completely vulnerable.

Watching this movie, you'll stay off the drugs.

The soundtrack of the movie is beautiful and haunting, of course --- a requiem.

There are only a few dutch movies that I would recommend, but this is one of them.

A couple, Saskia and Rex stop at a gas station. But Saskia never returns after she walks into the gas station. She seems to have vanished without a trace. In the following years, Rex desperately find out what has happened to her. Here the horror hits home. This could happen to anyone!

The movie can be characterized as a psychological thriller. Although the abductor is a sociopath and a serial killer, there are no gory, bloody scenes in it.

The character of the serial killer, Raymond, is well developed. He is a french chemistry teacher. Eccentric, yes, but well-adjusted and a family man. No one suspects that he is a serial killer, but we know that in the back of his mind he is carefully planning his murders. This is the best "serial killer" character I have ever seen (better than "Hannibal" in my opinion). Interesting detail: We find out that Raymond is claustrophobic when he is pulled over by police. He is allowed not to wear a seat belt because of this. (This detail is not in the book though.) This makes the murders even more gruesome.

Rex is another interesting character. He becomes totally obsessed by Saskia's disappearance. So much, that he chooses an almost certain death just to find out what happened to her. Some may think that it is very unlikely that anyone would do this, but I disagree.

By the way, don't watch the American remake. It may be OK, but having watched the original first it was a big disappointment. Jeff Bridges does not come close to the brilliant french serial killer!

In the slums of Rio de Janeiro, where the police is either corrupt or absent, the cycle of violence seems without end. Children witness and participate in drugs and crime at an early age. Here it may be harder than anywhere else to choose good over evil, to break away from the violence. The story is told through the eyes, and lens, of Rocket. Through him we see Li'l Ze rise to power, the showdown with the rival gang led by Carrot and Knockout Ned and his demise. This movie has great characters, superbly acted.

There is Li'l Ze, sociopath, who enjoys killing already at an early age. More ruthless than anyone else, he becomes the most powerful drug dealer in the area. However, his ruthless violence backfires almost literally. His power is threatened by Knockout Ned, who joined a rival gang after he kills people dear to him. Finally he is killed a group of small children, with the bullets and guns that he gave to him. Now the circle of violence seems to be complete. Despite his ruthlessness, there are times when Li'l Ze seems vulnerable. The only way for him to get a woman is through violence, and he dies at the hands of some little kids.

Then there is Benny, more easygoing than Li'l Ze who eventually tries to escape the violence, but the violence catches up to him.

There is Knockout Ned, who tries to do good initially. But after Li'l Ze abuses and kills people close to him, he swears on revenge. Slowly he is seduced by violence and starts breaking his own rule not to harm innocent people. He is killed by the child of one of his victims.

Finally, there is Rocket. He tries to stay away from the violence as much as possible. Also he flirts with violence, but his conscience wins every time. With a great deal of luck, he is finally successful in breaking away of the violence.

After seeing this movie you may ask yourself: what causes evil and violence? Are some people born evil? This seems to be the case with Li'l Ze. Do people turn evil because of the circumstances, like Knockout Ned? Does poverty lead to violence? It does seem like one need a lot of luck to break away from violence in a place like this.

This is truly a great movie that no one will easily forgot. The violence, often by young children, is quite disturbing. One of the best movies I ever saw.