GenPion

No problem. Don't forget to post and let me know what you thought of the film.

slowcloud

So it just barely eeked across a rotten rating, now that more reviews have come in (last I saw it was 60%). I noticed it has been very divisive among critics, but I noticed that my favorable review is among the better half of the company: Owen Glieberman of EW thought it weak, but not the New York Times. So, this film is really for those with a particular kind of taste for film. I would say a refined taste.

NoirFan

A.O. Scott of the Times actually seemed pretty unimpressed.

slowcloud

True, I only saw that fresh tomato in the break down on RT. Reading the review, I see what you mean. Still, what Scott slags off as an emptiness toward the end of the review, I still chalk up to the mystery of this-- albeit undeveloped -- character; but it suits the style of the film.

Osiris3657

I liked it, at least from a technical standpoint and acting wise, but I had some serious questions about the script. Why did the old man, Jack's boss, kill the female assassin who was about to kill Jack?...He wanted Jack dead. I understand that he might want to get rid of both to eliminate any connection to him, but why wouldn't he let the chick kill Jack and then take care of her himself?

Also...maybe I missed this, but why were the prostitutes targets?

slowcloud

You should edit this with spoiler warnings.

Oh, and these are good questions, but I do not think it was ever implied that was a target.

Osiris3657

From what I understand in previous movie threads, once a movie has been released you don't have to spoiler anything and it's a "read at your own risk" sort of thing. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Anyway I thought it was pretty clear when Jack was reading the paper the headline stated "two more prostitutes killed" and when he speaks with the female assassin later on he tells her "I guess I'll read about this in the paper", referring to a new job.

dino88

Osiris3657

^thanks, that helps.

slowcloud

I totally missed that part. I was surprised when I saw her keel over.

As for the prostitutes, it was plot device to set up why Carla carried a gun, which worked nice to wring Jack's paranoia.

Greg MacGuffin

One of the best flicks I've seen all year. Slow, deliberate, achingly beautiful to look at. Gorgeous women, architecture, and guns, plus a shout out to Sergio Leone. Movie heaven.

The scene where Clooney and Mathilda are on their "picnic," assembling and test firing the sniper rifle, was one of the most erotic scenes in ages.

No surprise that it's divisive among critics and audiences. Definitely not the type of thing that I'd recommend to everyone. But if you have patience (ie, can sit still for than five minutes without fidgeting with your phone), you'll love it.

Went to a matinee, and was surrounded by mostly geriatrics. Had to shush these three doofuses in front of me twice during the film (once at the beginning and once near the end). As they were leaving, they were prattling on about how boring and slow the movie was. I imagine that will be the typical reaction from a lot of people. Their loss.

Osiris3657

that picnic scene was erotic?

Regarding the geriatrics, I had the same experience at my matinee (10:30am) showing. Heard a bunch of negative comments from them once the credits started to roll.

movielib

No one likes a slow, beautifully crafted film more than I. Too bad this wasn't it. It was just Zzzzzzzzzzzz.

The "twist" was clever and I didn't see it coming but way too little, way too late.

Maxflier

I hadn't been to the theater in ages but I went twice this weekend, saw Machete and this. Didn't care for Machete very much but I LOVED this one. I had the same theater full of geriatrics experience. And unfortunately I also had a couple of fucking yentas sitting right behind me the whole movie.

mdc3000

No less than FIVE people fell asleep at the screening I was at... I wasn't one of them, but damn was this movie slow. There was enough stuff here for a very interesting 20 minute short film... however stretched to this length, it becomes an exercise in the mundane. I felt like Corbijn was more interested in stringing together a lot of good looking shots, rather than telling a compelling and complete story with any sort of real characters... it was just an excuse for the next artfully composed frame. I didn't hate it because I'm a big fan of Clooney and the prostitute was quite good looking, but I found it utterly predictable and so slowly paced that it's tough to recommend. 2/5

leofarnsworth

SPOILER ALERT DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN THE FILM...that said:
Jack's boss does not shoot the girl. She is killed by a purposely defective mercury bullet Jack makes that blows up in her face. The boss is there as backup to kill Jack if she failed.

magiccmom

But why did they want him dead? Was it because he was almost killed in the first scene and the boss thought he lost his edge? He wanted to disappear anyway, why not just let him? I just didnt get why he wanted to kill him, thus I didnt feel like there was any point to this movie.

slowcloud

This film invites interpretation. It also follows the cliches of the underground assassin or organized crime films. If you've seen enough of these sort of movies, you know (1) there is never any leaving the business without death coming to you first. Going back to the old film noirs of the 50s, done under the Hollywood rules of the Hayes Code, (and here's point 2) anyone who committed a bad deed must to get their comeuppance in the end.

All, that said, when Jack tells his boss he wants out, this guy becomes a liability to the business, so the rules are, he must be eliminated. People in these business don't want their guys to just disappear unless it's quite literally underground.

dino88

You could also look at it from a different perspective.

The Antipodean

Interesting article on the film's marketing and whether it's deceptive:
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/the_...american-.html

If you haven't heard already, the George Clooney film "The American" has the dubious distinction of being the No. 1 movie at the box office this weekend despite having received an abysmal grade of D minus from CinemaScore, which tracks the reaction of rank-and-file moviegoers to the latest films. Even worse, as my colleague Ben Fritz noted in his box-office report, the film's target audience -- adults older than 25, who made up 88% of the audience, gave it an F.

The Bus

Saw this over the weekend and I was enthralled. Really liked it and didn't think it was slow. There were a lot of shots where Corbijn tricks the eye with scale and space. It works, because it unsettles you. I agree with Jeffy Pop's opinion on the first picnic/shot test scene. I also think that the first scene between Jack/Edward and Clara is one of the most real sex scenes I've ever seen in a widely released film.

What I don't get is mentions of a "twist"... what was it? Does it have anything to do with this?

Recommended.

FantasticVSDoom

Pretty much agree with this... Clooney good and some great shots, but the pace just brings it down too much for me.

Tommy_Harn

My buddy and I saw this last night and enjoyed it quite a bit. I'd say a B+ or so. But yes we did hear the moans and groans afterwards, with one person saying outloud "that's it?" when the credits rolled. Not sure what else they were looking for.

I do have a small problem with one plot-point:

DonnachaOne

As you said, it's a small town and perhaps they don't have the best or most immediate CSI squad; Jack didn't talk to anyone in the town except the Priest, the Mechanic and the scooter guy. First guy wouldn't talk, second guy wouldn't be asked, third guy wouldn't be chatting much.

As for the brothel, he drives to a bigger town (Solona, I think) to visit it.

sauce07

Finally caught this yesterday and loved it. I found the cinematography mesmerizing, some of those shots just sucked me in. There was one shot where the camera floated over the town at night showing the labyrinth of all the streets, it's been stuck in my head since the movie ended.

If I was going to base Italy off this movie, I don't think there are any ugly women in that country. I thought the woman who played Clara (Violante Placido) did a great job especially during the second sex scene when you can see her "transformation", it wasn't some corney Hollywood moment, it felt genuine. On a side note, Violante Placido's mother is Simonetta Stefanelli who played Apollonia 'The Godfather' (Michael's wife in Sicily).

As for some of the confusion over the plot/ending, here's what I thought happened.