"Keep your money."
This is the story of how the Soviet Union lost the game. It is a story based - loosely - on the real story of the man who gave the French enough information to trigger the end of the Cold War.
The movie is categorized as a thriller, but it is no ordinary one. It has a good story, a good script, an excellent director and a great cast. The music is moving and the cinematography is beautiful.
This is a movie that makes art for art's sake and nothing more. A movie only the Europeans could make. There is no commercial pressure, there is no need to add anything to the plot, or to make the story anything more (or less) than it is. It is the story of the man who wanted to change the world, and who succeeded.
The director does a terrific job. The camera walks, runs, flies high and low, in search of the perfect angle, the story moves easily from one point to the next and the attention to detail is overwhelming. There are moments when the action stops and only the camera moves. Combined with a brilliant sound track, the result is a masterpiece.
The actors are perfectly selected. Emir Kusturica is the bohemian KGB officer, a role that fits his bearish physique like a glove. Guillaume Canet is the unlikely counterpart and he does a brilliant job. Both man are also accomplished film directors in their own right, and I don't think I've ever seen a movie with main characters like these. They have a special, natural and effortless connection with the camera and with each other, and the film benefits tremendously. The women are there only to make their life difficult and to show how they each deal with their "domestic" problems and weaknesses. But if their roles are small, they do an excellent job.
In other roles, there is a cast of who's who of Hollywood. If they would give awards for best supporting cast, this movie would take the cake. Fred Ward is Ronald Reagan, the boss of the United States, Willen Defoe is the boss of the CIA, David Soul has a tiny role and Diane Kruger has a very recognizable cameo appearance.
The music is moving, when it is meant to be moving, and simply noise, when it is meant to be nothing else.
If there is one flaw that I found, is that the movie repeats itself too much. There are several great ideas and scenes, but they tend to be repeated a lot. Even the greatest idea is a masterpiece only once. The second time it is not so great and the third time it is just... boring. The movie could have been shorter and it could have left some things to the viewer's imagination.
There is also the choice of language. There is French, there is Russian and there is English. While the use of all three languages adds to the authenticity of the story, the constant and relentless switching between them gets tiresome, sooner or later. And since the copy I had had no subtitles, some of the Russian dialog remained a mystery. Thank God! there were no Chinese or Japanese involved.
Farewell. A great movie, even if a little self-indulgent. 8/10.
This is the story of how the Soviet Union lost the game. It is a story based - loosely - on the real story of the man who gave the French enough information to trigger the end of the Cold War.
The movie is categorized as a thriller, but it is no ordinary one. It has a good story, a good script, an excellent director and a great cast. The music is moving and the cinematography is beautiful.
This is a movie that makes art for art's sake and nothing more. A movie only the Europeans could make. There is no commercial pressure, there is no need to add anything to the plot, or to make the story anything more (or less) than it is. It is the story of the man who wanted to change the world, and who succeeded.
The director does a terrific job. The camera walks, runs, flies high and low, in search of the perfect angle, the story moves easily from one point to the next and the attention to detail is overwhelming. There are moments when the action stops and only the camera moves. Combined with a brilliant sound track, the result is a masterpiece.
The actors are perfectly selected. Emir Kusturica is the bohemian KGB officer, a role that fits his bearish physique like a glove. Guillaume Canet is the unlikely counterpart and he does a brilliant job. Both man are also accomplished film directors in their own right, and I don't think I've ever seen a movie with main characters like these. They have a special, natural and effortless connection with the camera and with each other, and the film benefits tremendously. The women are there only to make their life difficult and to show how they each deal with their "domestic" problems and weaknesses. But if their roles are small, they do an excellent job.
In other roles, there is a cast of who's who of Hollywood. If they would give awards for best supporting cast, this movie would take the cake. Fred Ward is Ronald Reagan, the boss of the United States, Willen Defoe is the boss of the CIA, David Soul has a tiny role and Diane Kruger has a very recognizable cameo appearance.
The music is moving, when it is meant to be moving, and simply noise, when it is meant to be nothing else.
If there is one flaw that I found, is that the movie repeats itself too much. There are several great ideas and scenes, but they tend to be repeated a lot. Even the greatest idea is a masterpiece only once. The second time it is not so great and the third time it is just... boring. The movie could have been shorter and it could have left some things to the viewer's imagination.
There is also the choice of language. There is French, there is Russian and there is English. While the use of all three languages adds to the authenticity of the story, the constant and relentless switching between them gets tiresome, sooner or later. And since the copy I had had no subtitles, some of the Russian dialog remained a mystery. Thank God! there were no Chinese or Japanese involved.
Farewell. A great movie, even if a little self-indulgent. 8/10.