The whole thing begins as a nice thriller, but turns out to be a really bad piece of scriptwriting. You soon find yourself guessing what's gonna happen next, being right most of the time... the story isn't thought through and depends on a bunch of improbable twists. The immature humor doesn't match the rest of the film's atmosphere at all and the final is simply awful, AWFUL! And, oh, is there a point? The mute girl being a metaphor for innocence and stuff... well, there might have been potential, but her turning into some kind of Bruce Willis flattens her character to the depth of a sheet of paper. The family conflict shines through nicely, but isn't well developed. Still, it is entertaining at times and I could imagine worse.
Reviews
4 Reviews
Equilibrium
(2002)
Simply Poor
29 May 2005
Someone whom I had told how much I enjoyed Terry Gilliam's Brazil gave this movie to me, I hadn't ever heard of it and started watching. After the first few minutes I was quite sure already, that I wouldn't like it much... the scriptwriter's idea of writing is obviously transporting all the ORIGINAL (?!) social critic 1:1 into the dialogs. Either he thought having to think would be too much of an effort for the audience or he is just a very very poor writer. Beside the 1984 rip-off cliché story, there are the Matrix rip-off fights. (well choreographed though) Since I don't like judging a film by the first 15 minutes I continued watching, while the movie grew more and more disappointing... The only thought this movie triggered in my brain was, why Christian Bale and Emily Watson took part in such a silly flick.
Muxmäuschenstill
(2004)
Quite nice, not good.
30 August 2004
The one great achievement of this film is, to make the viewer not notice the low budget, mainly by fast cuts and rapid camera movement. It certainly will keep you attentive.
During the movie, you catch yourself not feeling sorry for most of Max' victims. That's what I liked.
His breaking of morality (Kant is being quoted), and his arrogance are unfortunately far too obvious. That's what I disliked.
In the end, it is once again (only) a very paedagogic German film.
DON'T READ ON, UNLESS YOU DON'T MIND, THE ENDING BEING SPOILED OR KNOW THE FILM ALREADY!
At the end, Max himself becomes a murder. While this is a quite unrealistic character development, it creates empathy for the criminals, he punished so harshly. Of course, he dies soon after.
During the movie, you catch yourself not feeling sorry for most of Max' victims. That's what I liked.
His breaking of morality (Kant is being quoted), and his arrogance are unfortunately far too obvious. That's what I disliked.
In the end, it is once again (only) a very paedagogic German film.
DON'T READ ON, UNLESS YOU DON'T MIND, THE ENDING BEING SPOILED OR KNOW THE FILM ALREADY!
At the end, Max himself becomes a murder. While this is a quite unrealistic character development, it creates empathy for the criminals, he punished so harshly. Of course, he dies soon after.
One long disappointment
30 August 2004
Being from Germany, I know only very few good recent German films, and so I thought, I'd give this one a chance. I had read a few good words about it, in a TV-magazine. (generally not a good source for trustworthy movie recommendations) As some minutes passed, I was confronted with clichés, clichés, and clichés. At first I thought, it might be some kind of satire... I just could not believe, in the existence of such a unimaginative (non blockbuster) movie! I was wrong though. This movie doesn't play with clichés as for example Pulp Fiction does, it simply quotes them. The whole "pigs are like people"-thing, the ultimately boring lovestory, the fat black extroverted American woman, the parents, who won't let go of their son, the bullying schoolmates ... and so on. I have noticed though, some people enjoyed this movie. It appeals to their emotions, it is political correct, and it is very much paedagogic, which is UNFORTUNATELY symptomatic for German films.
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