Anyone who could find redeeming value in this piece of crap ought to have their head examined. We have the submissive, heroin-addicted, part-time hooker wife with lacerations all over her body, lacerations received from repeated beatings by an abusive son. Now, she is squirting breast milk all over the kitchen floor, the release so gained somehow akin to Helen Keller placing her hands in running water. We have the husband who starts out by patronizing a prostitute who just happens to be his daughter (she's upset with him because he came too quickly)and ends by murdering his female colleague, having sex with her corpse, and then chopping her up. We have the kid who is relentlessly bullied by his classmates and who comes home and beats his mom. You see, it's all circular. Deep, huh? The only decent moment in this horrendous pile of tripe is when the dad murders his son's tormentors. It's a good thing this turkey was shot on video because otherwise what a waste of expensive film it would be. If that guy who thinks artists ought to be interested in this slop is really serious, no wonder most people think artists are insane. We saw this lousy movie, then put on "Zero Woman, The Accused." Oh my God, it was a tossup as to which one was worse. What is going on in Japan these days? Sick, sick, sick.


I actually retired from Asian horror films some time ago after becoming completely sick of seeing samey ghost story rubbish. However, I've been getting more and more into exploitation flicks recently, and so decided to give them another chance. My first port of call was highly rated director Takashi Miike's highly rated 'Visitor Q'. I'd already seen Audition, and while I didn't like it much, I do rate it as one of the better modern Asian horror films. So, I went into this with sensible expectations; and unfortunately, found only boredom. I suppose this movie is actually really clever and it just went over my head, but what it seemed like to me was simply a collection of violent and nasty scenes with little or no coherency between them. Any comparisons to the work of Luis Bunuel and David Lynch is blasphemous as far as I'm concerned; all Miike has done here is make a film; any intelligence surrounding it has been implemented by pretentious fans, desperate to find some kind of meaning. My headache set in about 10 minutes in (after a father had sex with his daughter for some reason), and it didn't subside until the movie finally ended; at least twenty four hours later, or so it would seem. Don't get me wrong, I'm not against violence in movies and in fact actively seek out the most notorious films around; but while this may be violent, it's also pointless and boring and I didn't get one ounce of enjoyment out of it. Takashi Miike may have a lot of fans, but I'm certainly not one of them; and I certainly hope this is the last time I'll come into contact with one of his films.


Visitor Q opens with the title card "Have you ever done it with your Dad?" Through a digital camcorder, we watch a hot young prostitute as she seduces her father into having sex with her. Her father is the one with the camera, filming the scene for a documentary on Japanese youths. Eventually it seems the father is letting himself be seduced, and she tells him the price. They have sex, the father is a preemie, and the disappointed daughter reacts by doubling the price. The father then realizes the camera has been on throughout.

Then another title card appears: "Have you ever been hit on the head?" What follows is a single shot, the content of which one could reasonably guess based on the title of the scene.

Among all the connecting vignettes, twisted and vomit-provoking as can be, there is one which very telling, but by this time, the viewer is so taken aback that finding significance in what one is seeing seems so bewildering. But the scene involves the father in one of his many frantic situations with his camera, running off to the camera about how he is supposed to feel. He doesn't know how. And neither do we.

Miike is known for his go-for-broke gross-out violence, blood, guts and gore, not to mention all the perverse sexuality we tend to see in his countless films, and many of them he has churned out as simply as just a fun job. When asked why, for instance, in Dead or Alive, a character produces a bazooka from thin air, Miike laughed and said "Why shouldn't he have a bazooka? Don't all guys fantasize about bazookas?" With this direct-to-video shocker, the viewer realizes how aware he is of the effect of his content, and in so being, never indicates to us what we are supposed to feel. Most movies, most TV shows, certainly the news and most other forms of media output indicate through a basic film language what we are morally supposed to be feeling. Miike doesn't find this social phenomenon so easily done, and builds this $60,000 cult film around those aforementioned forms of media, exploiting the production's conception as an exercise in exploring the benefits of low-cost Digital Video to replicate documentary footage and home movies, which lathers the film with a sense of realism, which contrasts wildly with the freakishly bizarre scenes and pitch-black humor. He keeps this tense juxtaposition consistent and never allows us for a moment to sit back and relax, to shift into auto-pilot.

As a result, watching Visitor Q becomes this grotesque experience throughout which we realize how unaccustomed we are to human perversions. Am I repulsed, exasperated, laughing, compassionate, overwrought and bewildered? I am never signaled. You're on your own. And consequently, I felt all of those things.


Right of the bat, this movie is not for everyone. It opens with an intertidal announcing nonchalantly, "Have you ever had sex with your father?" Seeing this written simply on the screen, you start to look around the theater to try to ascertain other people's reaction. You feel slightly uncomfortable. You wonder if your presence at the movie is a testament of your perversity. As the scene progress and it becomes eminent that this little girl is indeed going to have sex with her father, you feel a genuine unease. You even wonder if other member of the audience will simply stand up and leave... but everyone remains seated. They watch the act play itself out. It looks so real!! Who in the world filmed this? Is this a movie or did it really happened?

Then you realize that the reason nobody left, was that they were all glued in their seat. Frozen. The scene was so intense! And then... the laughter starts. An unsure, reluctant laugh. Should I laugh? Is this funny? Is this sick? Distasteful? Sad? The answer is: this is human nature. Some of us do this. Some never do, but nonetheless have the urge to do some of these things. We are not all as neat, conformist, lawful, respectful, righteous as some might think. We have a dark side. This film shows us this dark side. Simply, honestly, and with great care not to be afraid to go too far.

This film is extremely daring. It depicts acts that are not only illegal and to most (I sincerely hope) immoral, but that are also very passionate and intimately link to who we are. Seeing this on screen allows us a glimpse into this forbidden world. It is as though we are actually committing these atrocities vicariously, and if not, are at least silent witnesses. But we enjoy it. Yes, why do we enjoy it so much? Because, like it or not, it is part of us, somewhere deep (very deep) inside, we understand these fellow humans.

So behind the shock value and the constant disturbing images thrown at the spectators, there lies a deep analysis of human drives that is quite revealing and to the point. This film is like a case study in a scientific experiment. Between the sex, between the violence, we find the motivations and reasons for this decadence. For some, it may require more courage than others, but we owe it to ourselves to watch... to learn.

This film is not as dark as you might imagine it to be. That is what is so surprising about it. The incorporation of humor and absurdity in hateful and abject displays. The situations are in fact quite funny, even hilarious. The people are real persons that you might even come to like. The story is somewhat sweet, heartfelt. So come in open-minded, let go of your inhibitions, of your own self-censorship, and enjoy it!! Laugh, cry, let your stomach turn a little and feel like you've experienced something never before experienced. This is what novelty is all about.

The first scene is just the tip of the iceberg compared to the rest of the movie, but I would spoil the fun by telling you what you are about to see, just go ahead and see it. Expect nothing. Expect anything.


Who knew that material so vile, obscene, and disgusting could be presented so beautifully? Visitor Q is a movie that goes too far, but carries itself wonderfully so that it is able to go the full distance without losing its audience. Visitor Q deals with a lot of risky subjects, including incest, necrophilia, rape, abuse on women, heroin addiction, and a slew of other things that would usually be used to describe fetish pornography.

First things first, this movie should not be mentioned in the same vein as other movies that "go to far." This is not your blood and guts (and rape) horror slasher fest. Visitor Q is an emotional, powerful movie that rivals even the most well constructed Academy Award winners. Also, do not get the idea that this is another Eraserhead or Izo or other "strange" movies that it may get compared to. Though Visitor Q is presented in a strange manner, it works well with the odd subject material and Miike is subtle enough in his direction that the viewer will not be confused by the end of the movie.

For Takashi Miike fans this is the epitome of all of his work (only rivaled by Audition). Miike's style really shines through and his ability to be shocking, yet appropriate, is very clear. Miike uses excellent imagery and deep characters that will make you go through many emotions. You will laugh, you will be disgusted, you may be offended, and by the end you may be so overwhelmed that you may cry. The last shot of the movie is so beautiful and so fitting. There are very few movies that wrap it up so perfectly in the last frame and Visitor Q happens to be one of them.

The acting is wonderful. Everyone plays their part to near perfection. Shungiku Uchida, who plays the mother, is especially great. Her turn towards the end of the movie is felt. Kazushi Watanabe, who plays the visitor, is also great in his mostly quiet role. His silent presence worked very appropriate in enhancing every other character.

Visitor Q is not a confusing movie in any manner. Just a very strange one. It is different. Visitor Q introduces you to a dysfunctional family and you find yourself getting put right into the middle of it. The characters embark on huge emotional journeys that eventually lead up to what is one of the happiest endings in any movie that does not get sappy. Visitor Q has everything you need in a great movie.


I felt a little uneasy here and there watching this flick, mostly due to the fact that I was watching it in a sort of 'viewing room' on a campus, where a bunch of TV's are set-up and people can watch whatever they want with headphones for the volume. Luckily, no one else entered the room- if so, I would probably have been reported for watching pornography, or snuff-film work, or both. I'm almost surprised this even came in the mail via netflix (though not that it didn't, apparently, get theatrical distribution here in the states). Of the only handful of Takashi Miike films I've seen, this does definitely take the cake. If it's maybe not his absolute best maybe it's part of the appeal; Miike is experimenting with the viewer's expectations, even his f****d up Japanese fan-type ones. It takes the idea of doing a tragic-comedy on a dysfunctional family and turns it on its head, and puts it across the line of what should usually be acceptable with absurdism, and either have the viewer be pleased (in a manner of speaking) or utterly disgusted, or both, that they went over the line.

And what a family indeed. It starts off as being something, in its own way, almost quirky in the view of a family on the brink. There's infidelity at first- the father (Kenichi Endo), unintentionally video-tapes himself having sex with a certain girl. This is quite the graphic, uncomfortable sex scene, albeit with the most 'sensitive' parts being blurred, and this cuts right away to something completely different (if the Monty Python sound rings from reading that, it's not without some coincidence throughout the picture), as the father gets hit on the head by some guy with a rock. This guy, knick-named Q (Kazuchi Watanabe), comes to stay at the family's house, where the mother (Shungiki Uchida) gets whipped with a cane by her son, who on his way to and from school always without fail gets beaten and robbed by bullies. She's also into heroin, but then later when something happens particular-like with Q, another unnerving revelation is revealed, one without really any explanation for being there.

But I realized after a while Miike set it up from the beginning with Q suddenly entering into this world, and somehow for no actual reason being accepted. In fact, if you're looking for reason, you might want to look elsewhere, seriously. It's a look at the disintegration of a family using a medium within its video-work (I was reminded of Godard's equally un-settling work of original sexually depraved and uncouth family in Numeroux Deux), and if taken really as being a serious work you might have to turn it off after a while. This is not something that I could easily do, however, as I had to watch what would happen much like in something in a Lynch or Bunuel film. It's actually not without some merit to compare him with those other filmmakers, as his work pushes the absurdism/surrealism to the brink, where there's no choice left but to laugh at what's going on. Take when the father decides to suddenly jump into his 'reality-TV' time by taping when the bullies shoot fireworks at their house. Or when things start getting particularly disturbing (necrophilia, yeah) and the juxtaposition of father to mother in these scenes is extraordinary in deranged comic timing.

After it ended, with the final shot leaving a look on my face like a dog in front of a different piece of food in the bowl, I knew that Visitor Q is a work that goes beyond taking an ultra-serious look at the world of these psychotic criminals- or at the least social introverts and with sexual intentions that go over the edge- it worked a lot better than it might have at doing just a straightforward mockumentary of reality-TV. I'm not sure what the situation of the degrading medium is like in Japan, but by sticking to mocking this family and they're near-silent 'visitor', and putting it all through a blender of crimes and misdemeanors that would make some faint on the spot, Miike achieves his goals more or less, whatever they might be. It's got some scenes that don't work early on, or maybe its just so strange to really get into the mood of it at first. Once hooked in, I had as much fun, in the most perverse voyeuristic way, as I did with Ichi the Killer. It confronts the viewer, and should be deliciously shocking and unrepentantly hilarious for years to come. That it's not for everyone will be known right from the first scene.


A triumph of Japanese filmography. Stand aside Kurosawa you have been bettered. Fantastic script and plot - a real family must see. I thought the complete 'realisticness' was particularly superb. I must comment on the outstanding acting which although must have been done under lots of distractions never wavered and continued to excel throughout. The story and script was written in such a way that you feel unable to tear yourself away from the screen! I will not go into details so I avoid spoiling it for people but the very first scene was superb and set the highest of standards for the rest of the film to follow. Surprisingly it achieved this and more through the course of the film and the subtle story was cleverly revealed bit by bit.


This film is a twisted nonsense of a movie, set in Japan about a dysfunctional family who end up with a strange violent guest who just sits back and watches the 4 members of the family at their worst. Nothing is sacred in this movie, with sex drugs and violence stretched to such a limit i'm surprised it got past the censors.

Overall, i think it will appeal only to those whom we shouldn't be encouraging, rather than any supposed underlying message coming out for the rest of us to consider. A film that panders to the worst element in society and is in anyway utter gash... A disappointment from a man who made the sublime Dead or Alive and Audition movies.


Okay, so I get it. We're supposed to be horrified. The idea has been planted. A girl is doing her dad and taking photos of it. Call me over the shock-rock genre but I call for the explicit detailing of an act before I can fall for this. But don't expect me to watch a soft-porn and become horrified that she is 'doing her father'...I mean hasn't that convention become a bit abused in the adult film industry already infiltrated with 'rape, and molestation' porn...Horror isn't what your mind can fool you into believing. It is what actually exists in film. This is where Miike fails in Visitor Q. Extremism becomes mild when it becomes a choose your own adventure.


There is NOTHING cool, hip, or clever about this film-- liking it just reveals an ignorance of true art cinema. How can you so easily forget that the central fact of this entire film is that these mean & ugly people are . . . SERIAL KILLERS! If they have to dismember total strangers in order to "be a family again," then we don't WANT them to "be a family." What part of that did you have trouble grasping? Why applaud this filth?

THIS silly filth is what you do if you can't do art! One's head & life must be deeply empty to mistake this shallow viciousness as "interesting." This is a camera without a brain. What really makes an artwork cool is profundity, questioning the status quo from a perspective informed by a knowledge of history (or, in this case, a knowledge of ANYTHING would be preferable!). Instead, this is just randomly piling up the ugliest images available in a world in meltdown, thanks to just the sort of empty meanness glorified as "cool cause it's so far OUT, man!"). These same violent events actually HAPPEN, every day. They are NOT "just in the film." They refer to actual soul-less people who would do those same things to YOU. Do you WANT those things done to you? A child could have thought this up, it required zero imagination, it is NOT surrealism. This lazy crap has no content, is saying nothing--it's just the worst of the evening news, & it is saying nothing new, nothing we don't already know. It's "the emperor's new clothes," the director hoping there are enough uneducated children, proud of their streak of inhumanity, for this sloppy filth to fly. I can see director Miike's demented fans now: chain-smoking teens-and- twenties drunks covered in tattoos, with metal hanging from holes punched in their faces, their knowledge-base inversely proportional to their intelligence estimate of themselves .

There is NO PLOT to this--it is just sheer exploitation of shock-value violence. There is no "hidden meaning" anywhere in this poorly made film. It is fine to explore a film to see if you can find cinematic devices that are ingeniously artistic, BUT you cannot uncover a hidden meaning if one is not THERE! To DO that you need to view & review a REAL piece of cinema. There are PLENTY out there, directed by Fellini, Bergman, Fassbinder, Herzog, Altman, Bunuel, Kurosawa, Lynch, Tarkovsky, Peter Greenaway, Tarantino, Guillermo del Toro, Richard Linklater, Eisenstein, Aronofsky, Gus van Sant, Soderbergh, Shyamalan, Ordet. Why don't you view a REAL art film by the likes of these giants? This wannabe director, Miike, will NEVER make a film equal to one of the geniuses I just listed because he just doesn't have the talent! Anyone could slap together some chaotic crap like "Visitor Q." Teenagers could throw that together in one afternoon! There's no message, no meaning, no plot, nothing to it at all. There are long lists of ART Films to learn from--but THIS "Visitor Q" is NOT an art film in any respect. It has no content to it. It's just one banal horror piled onto another, and the point to remember about those hideous crimes is that those things HAPPEN, every single day, somewhere in the world. They are NOT okay because they are "just in the film." They refer to actual soul-less people who would do those same things to YOU. Do you WANT those things done to you? To others? Why? Because this world is already ugly enough, thanks to people who enjoy thinking about horrific events like this.

There are sooooo many art films out there to use your mind to deconstruct, but you are wasting your talents with this piece of crap. There IS no deeper meaning. There is nothing to analyze; why keep trying? I've spent nearly 40 years watching practically every film ever made, and keeping up with all the new ones, but I've never seen anything as disgustingly pointless as this. It's not imaginative or even shocking, because these types of events happen daily all over the world. To make this film, or even to favorably review it, has caused over 50 young airheads who don't know any better to think it's "cool." They may grow up thinking that, convincing others, some of whom may end up DOING these things--convicted killers often reveal how they started out just this way, by being desensitized to the horror of this gruesome inhumanity. Trust me on this,--I know cool, and cool this piece of crap AIN'T. Visitor Q has the FEEL of a genuine SNUFF film, and I'm still not sure it isn't, actually.

Your actions have consequences, son. The world is awful enough already. Some violence like this COULD happen to YOU, or to the socially irresponsible director who cranked out this FAKE Art film. Believe me, you won't be thinking it's "Cool" when someone is sawing YOUR skull in half!


This movie stinks. I don't think I have ever seen a movie so strung up on shock value. The plot was relatively interesting, but the dialog was super flat and the acting was bland. This could have been an a good movie. I think it just relied on it's grotesque visuals. I can usually handle graphic scenes and human taboos, but it felt like Miike shot it for the sake of shooting it. Just one poorly executed film. There just isn't anything to be entertained by watching this film unless you are fascinated by exhausting yourself with explicit scenes of incest, pedophilia, necrophilia, rape, self milking, parental and sibling abuse, and fecal dispersement. I think I just sold the film to many of you, but I meant it when i said this stinks. He has succeeded in other films, but I think you'd be better off watching someone pooping.


"Visitor Q" is a failed attempt at black comedy which focuses on what might be the world's most dysfunctional family including physical abuse from beatings to murder to incest to sodomy to necrophilia to a lactating mom who nurses her husband and adult daughter, etc. The film is so outrageous it garnered some critical praise and established a small cult following. However, with home video quality and a slapdash production, "Visitor Q" just doesn't hold up even as a curiosity. Genitals are blurred out and sanitary appliances clearly visible, make-up is awful, and everything else is amateurish at best. A waste of time. (C-)


This movie was terrible. Throughout the whole movie, I was puzzled and did not see any point to it. I had to go to this site and read the review to finally understand what it was about. This movie is not worth watching at all. Not only is it sick and revolting but totally STUPID! Please don't watch unless you are one of those that likes to watch bad movies. If this movie questions Japanese society and their values and roles, than this is a country that i would not like to visit or bother to know. This is a totally sick movie!!!!!!!! I did not enjoy it because it made no sense. My boyfriend and I sat there waiting to see if it was a horror because that is what it was listed under. It was total disappointment.


I watched this movie and I gotta tell you..It is not that disturbing when you finally realize that things can get better even for a messed up family like the one in this movie. What do you think about this mysterious visitor? He hits the father with a rock, goes home with him, eats dinner with him and his family, stays at his place??? What is going on here? My point of view is: I think this mysterious visitor is like a Guardian Angel and was the reason for this bizarre emotional stimulation for the whole family. Father: cares more about his son and wants to do something good for the youth by making a documentary film about sex and violence amongst the youth. Mother: realizes that she is just a woman and starts getting in touch with her inner self by discovering that she can milk herself!! (weird but original). Son: realizes that he has to study harder to pass some important exams (after his folks stood up for him and killed those bullies who've been abusing him all the time). Daughter: after being hit on the head by a rock she gets back to her parents' house to find her parents really closer to each other emotionally and physically (breast-sucking scene). Bottom line is this mysterious visitor has influenced each member of the family to do something good for him/herself or for each other. First he hits the father with a rock twice which makes him - the father - think about how unsafe and brutal his society has become and decides to make a documentary about violence and sex abuse among the youth (the night he was hit on the head he couldn't get much sleep, grabs his camcorder and goes out to his car to watch a film featuring him being sexually abused by a couple of bullies) which later on made him stood up for his son - with the help of his wife - by killing those bullies which led to him finding his long-time buried feelings for his wife. The son wants to be a better person, the daughter comes back home to her parents to re-unite with her family again. This could be the perfect ending for this movie except that they've become murderers and will be caught eventually but they don't seem to care about it in the last scene proving that "Love is all you need in this world"


You know those films that have you trapped in the cinema? You're stuck there in the best seat in the house, centre of the row in your own special sweet spot that you swapped three times before you got just the right seat - and after about what feels like 13 hours you are still trapped there, uncomfortable and itchy, thinking "When the F*** is this film ever going to END???" (You know the feeling - think of A.I. and The Village).

Well, Visitor Q delivers a weird variant of that feeling. I sat there for the first 30 minutes wondering when the thing was going to f***ing start! It is interminable! So "Arty" it hurts. This is the first Miike Takashi film I have watched. Apparently he makes films by the dozen and, if they are all pretentious w@nk like this, I suspect it will be the last.

I'm not against Pretentious w@nk. David Lynch is up there amongst the top 10 directors for me but Visitor Q is cut-rate, cheap, and nasty pretentious w@nk.

As you may have worked out by now - I hated it.


Wow, I just saw it on DVD, and I couldn't stop laughing.

The scene when the father is stuck "in" the reporter... it was so over the top and insane and funny, that I think I just peed my pants.

Who would have thought, a movie that talks about: incest, rape, bullying, with insane black humor, that promotes family values...

I'm surprised so many people didn't get the humor/meaning of this movie.

You have to go beyond the violence/sex to understand it, like any Miike's film.

Unique, extremely funny and disturbing.

8/10


"Visitor Q" sat on my shelf for about a month before I gathered the gumption to put it in one night and I have to say, what they hell was I waiting for??? I read some reviews that suggested this movie was far too disgusting for a regular Joe to view. I beg to differ. While definitely not "Mary Poppins," this film will be regarded as standard fare to the mature Italian horror and vintage exploitation fan.

A really screwed up family is visited by a stranger. He bashes the father on the head, torments the jerky little abusive son, teaches the mother to milk herself and develops a crush on the daughter. The whole thing is filmed like a reality TV show and Miike was way ahead of his time on this one. I doubt someone could top him, even now. As usual, he throws in scenes that will disgust pretty much ANYONE but "Visitor Q" is missing the elements of stomach-turning violence and torture that we have come to expect from this director and I think this is one of his better films for the lack of that.

So, grab a pizza, a few buddies, your mom, dad, and sister and watch this one on a school night!

8 out of 10, kids.


Another world exists, and we are given a glimpse into that world: where sons beat their mothers, fathers are attracted to their daughters, and random strangers take up residence in a home and begin to run the household as they see fit. This is the world of "Visitor Q".

I've been on something of a Takashi Miike kick lately, thoroughly enjoying "Audition" recently. He's more offbeat and push-the-envelope than much of what passes for horror in America. This film is no exception. While the violence is much less than I've seen from Miike, the bizarre sexual aspects are pushed to new limits.

I don't know what I can write here without being obscene, but it's hard to describe this film without at least mentioning a few of the extreme sexual cases presented: incest, necrophilia, sex with feces, a woman who enjoys making herself lactate until she's flooded the room. And that's just the tip of the iceberg. If you're looking for something weird, this is your best bet. The only film that comes close to being this strange is "Slaughtered Vomit Dolls", which is more gross and artistic than this -- this film is just weird in general.

So, how do you judge a film that's bizarre? As art? Because the plot is really hard to pin down (not much happens, and the visitor is never explained). The acting is amazing, at least as far as they really pulled off the dark humor (I think most people will miss the fact this is supposed to be funny, but you can tell the violence is exaggerated on purpose). I really liked it, if for no other reason than that every time I thought it couldn't get weirder, I was wrong.

If you watch the opening scene and don't mind what you see, watch this film. I was uncertain at the beginning because the use of video quality made it seem all too real. But after the initial shock faded, I really few in love with this family and wanted to know what was going on. Not sure I understand it, but that just leaves me wanting to see it again. So, yeah, if you're into bizarre films or Miike (or both), put this on the top of your list!


"Visitor Q" is quite a sick, yet funny film. Takashi Miike seems to have taken inspiration from Pasolini's 1968 film "Teorama". Both films deal with a business man and a mysterious visitor who leads to a family's disintegration or awakening. Except, "Visitor Q" is more similar in shock to John Water's "Pink Flamingos", Francois Ozon's "Sitcom" and "Man Bites Dog", or maybe "Visitor Q" is an ode to both Pasoloini's "Teorama" and "Salo". In the film "Visitor Q", a businessman tries to film a documentary on modern Japan. He later decides to film his family's life. He screws his daughter who's a runaway prostitute, then later gets beat over the head with a rock by a mysterious stranger. He invites the stranger home to live with his dysfunctional family. His son is constantly bullied and instead of talking about his problems he beats his mother to a pulp. So, the mom kind of represents the treatment of women in modern day Japan. And also there's sort of a cycle of violence; the bullies beat the son, so the son beats his mom. The main character's poor wife is a junkie/prostitute who is sad, abused and lonely. Her husband won't give her attention, so she proceeds to have sex with the stranger. This causes her to get so excited that she squirts breast milk everywhere, almost nonstop. The main character kills a hooker and has sex with the dead body all the while filming it, because he's an angry premature ejeculater. Strangely enough, the visitor brings the family together as they kill the school bullies, dispose of the hooker's body and share breast milk together. I personally could of dealt without all the real non simulated breast milk squirting, but it seems that Miike is using it as a surreal metaphor. The breast milk seems to represent the communication and love that the family lacks. A film like "Pink Flamingos" only exists to shock viewers, while "Visitor Q" as disgusting as it is; is a social satire on modern Japan. It takes on taboo subject matter and bourgeoisie family values. The film is so exaggerated that I couldn't get offended. I also felt sadness for the mom in "Visitor Q". Her depression not only made me laugh, but almost cry. "Visitor Q" is a Johnathan Swift style satire. It's shocking and sick, but also entertaining and smart.


I have just watched Miike Takashi' film Visitor Q, tonight, and i think that it is one of the most insane and disturbing films that i have ever seen, since Ichi The Killer another of Miike's films I almost found it too shocking to watch parts of it because of the film content. It is about a father, who is a former television reporter who is trying to make a documentary about violence and sex among youths in Japan. He has sex with his daughter who is a prostitute. There are some really disturbing sences in this film where his son beats up his mom, who is also a prostitute and also a heroin addict, and has to inject herself everyday."Q" a strange man comes and lives with the family but before he injures the father by hitting him in the head with a large stone, who he later becomes friends with. It is hard to explain how insane this film is. I would recommend this film only to people who are able to watch such disturbing images. But i thought that it was still a fantastic film. 7/10


Meet the Yamazakis: father Kiyoshi, a failed TV reporter, is diddling his sexy prostitute daughter Miki; disturbed teenage son Takuya is being bullied at school, but dishes out the violence at home; and mum Keiko is turning tricks to fund her drugs habit.

Into this extremely dysfunctional family unit comes a strange visitor who brings peace and harmony to the household through the power of lactation.

Even by Takashi Miike's standards, Visitor Q is one hell of a weird ride, and is undoubtedly the director's most outrageous work to date (and considering this is the same guy who gave us Ichi the Killer, Gozu and Audition, that is really saying something!).

From its opening sex scene between Kiyoshi and Miki (which narrowly avoids being overly explicit thanks to some judicious blurring) to the breast milk drenched finalé, this deranged shot on DV feature presents enough sex and violence for the most depraved of film fans, and even manages to answer that age old question "What should I do if I get my penis trapped inside a dead woman's vagina?'.

Exactly what message Miike is trying to convey with this film is anyone's guess, but for wall-to-wall deviancy, you'll be hard pushed to find anything better (or should that be 'worse'?).

I give Visitor Q a rating of 8 out of 10 purely for it's ability to render even the most jaded of viewers speechless.


Good heavens. Why must every Hong Kong film since CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON be compared to it? That's like comparing Tim Burton's ED WOOD to Orson Welles' CITIZEN KANE because they're both in black-and-white! They're both great movies, but it's ridiculous to stand them next to each other because they're so vastly different. To me, Tsui Hark constructed a BRILLIANT homage to the "hopping corpse," and "demon" movies of the 1980's and early 1990's while adding some great kung-fu sequences. I see hints of SWORDSMAN, I feel bits of MR. VAMPIRE, I hear parts of IRON MONKEY, I smell A CHINESE GHOST STORY, and it's all done quite well. Wu-shu, taoist warriors, hopping corpses, a creepy nod to HOUSE OF WAX, and silly jokes? Great fun to me! Art-house, said one reviewer? Don't know what art films YOU'VE been watching lately. This movie didn't try anything tremendously fancy or new, it took a lot of things we've seen before and turned out a movie that was more than the sum of its parts. Bad humor? Different humor. Hong Kong humor is usually quite different than American humor...I'm sure a lot of people missed when RAIN, CLOUD, THUNDER, and LIGHTNING (ridiculously stereotypical "hero" names) were renamed "Kung," "Hei," "Fat," and "Choi." Put those four words together and it says "Happy New Year" in Cantonese. Amazingly funny to us? Probably not. Good for a lengthy chuckle for chinese native? Definitely. Low-budget? Again, have we been so spoiled by movie producers throwing vast wads of cash at American films -- often to cover the fact that a movie is BAD -- that we can't appreciate a film that doesn't try to overachieve, but does what it can with what it has? How quickly people forget CLERKS, EL MARIACHI, etc. But then again, DESPERADO was so much better than EL MARIACHI, yes? Because it had BIG EXPLOSIONS and SEX! It's time people set CROUCHING TIGER up on its own shelf and stop comparing it to movies it bears no similarities to. Wanna say that Zhang Yimou's HERO was an overblown attempt to recreate CT,HD? Go for it, you'll be right. Wanna miss the fun of VAMPIRE HUNTERS entirely by refusing to watch it as its own film? Your choice, and ultimately, your loss.


I think Vampire Hunters is a pretty good movie. Although it isn't breaking new ground, for most american viewers it will seem a little odd that the vampires in the movie are more corpse like than you expect to see, but in most if not all accounts of vampirism in the middle ages and earlier periods vampires were refered to as animated corpses, not strikingly beautiful creatures with tragic stories. So if you're looking to see a decent horror movie will "realistic" vampires, this would be worth seeing. Two top notch performances in the film are those of Anya, who plays a young widow, and Zou Na, who plays a servant.


A masterful film and beautifully shot i have never seen a film which rocked me to my core it is hard to believe that my life will ever be the same after seeing this awe inspiring film. Its all gravy baby!!!!!!!!!!! BOOYAH!!!


It's obvious that the person with the negative view either expects a 'kung fu' film and didn't get it, or more likely never saw MR VAMPIRE...

In order to enjoy this film I should think a little background on both Chinese mysticism and Hopping Zombie films are in order.

I won't do either of the honors, but instead refer you to the Illuminated Lantern website where you can get at least a primer on both.

AFA the film goes, I gave it a 7 out of 10 as it's a little disjointed, and lacks the flow of any really good Hopping Zombie film. But hey, at least someone whipped one of these out in the 00's, ten years after the genre died out. Kudos to Tsui Hark for that!


When I first saw this movie at the video store, I thought, wow cool bunch of monks kill vampires. But this was just plain awful. Bad directing, bad effects and the worst script in the world. You would think that the fighting scenes would be good but... no. I must say if your even thinking about watching this movie, your already doing the bad thing. Trust me, this isn't worth paying for, and even if they paid you to watch it please don't, you'll thank me later.


Although Tsui Hark did not direct this film, he did produce it and he wrote the screenplay. And "Era of Vampire" reminded me a lot of Hark's last film, "Time and Tide". The two films had nothing in common in terms of plot, but both movies tried to cover up their weak scripts with frenetic action sequences, cacaphonic noise, and Baz-Luhrmannesque editing.

The film starts off interestingly enough, diving right into an action sequence involving the first of many appearances of the monster, in this case it is a vampire/zombie. Rule #1 broken: in a horror flick, never show the monster, and certainly don't show it in the first 5 minutes of your movie. I guess he might have been able to get away with breaking this rule, had the monster become increasingly frightening over the course of the film. But in fact, the action from the first sequence was not only as thrilling as the rest that followed, but it was also far superior to the anti-climactic final showdown.

Director, Wellson Chin, also does a good job of putting over the human characters after the initial opening battle. In particular, a scene that brings one of the four warriors face-to-face (literally) with his love interest was very cleverly executed.

But after these two initial scenes, the film steadily goes downhill. The story meanders about, providing little fodder for suspense, thrill or engagement. Each action scene seems like a repetition of the ones that preceded it. By the time you get to the final showdown, you've lost alot of interest. And instead of re-engage the audience with a finale that brings in something new, we're treated to just another scene, like all the others. You get the sense that the film is trying to appeal to the West, capitalizing on the success of the flying martial artists in "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon". But unlike action films from Hollywood, this film's final showdown is a huge, anti-climactic letdown.

Where most films save their best for last, "The Era of Vampire" gave it all away in the first 15 minutes. Unfortunately, they forgot they had another 90 minutes to fill. 3/10


This movie fails on many levels. The plot is non-sensical, the heroes aren't heroic, the humor is humorless, nothing is really explained. Maybe it's a Chinese thing, but the dead becoming zombies becoming vampires? Vampires that suck blood like a Hoover? Why can't wax zombies move their legs independently? The "Vampire Hunters" seem to be only "Vampire Finders" as they run away whenever confronted! Parts of the movie look like poor send ups of Michael Jackson's "Thriller" video. I am glad I am part of a movie club and didn't pay good money to rent this. Save yourself some time and aggravation and put this back on the shelf and move on.


In a word? BAD. This has all the elements of a badly done "B" movie; ie: poorly developed characters, horrific cinematography, deplorable cacophonic soundtrack, and terrible over-dramatized acting.

The CGI used does not even begin to redeem this detestable smack-fest of sugar-coated zombies/vampires/whatevers, the main monster looks like something an 8 year old put together for the front porch on Halloween, and the four main characters are totally indistinguishable from one another.

The American version of this movie was cut, so it's possible we lost the character development on the cutting room floor, but honestly, even if we hadn't, I seriously doubt this movie would be worth watching.

There is only ONE good element. The sets. The sets are nicely done, and that is literally the single enjoyable aspect of this entire production.

Do yourself a favor and do something...no...do ANYthing else.

It rates a 0.0/10 from...

the Fiend :.


I'm not sure if this was supposed to be a horror drama or a comedy. They did so much editing - poorly - that it's hard to tell what they had in mind. In the version I saw on DVD, it appears there was a lot of stuff cut out which may have explained what the heck was going on. As one viewer said, it's hard to differentiate the heroes from one another as individuals. They also throw in way too much martial arts just for the sake of showing action. If you want to make a martial arts movie, than don't try to be a spooky picture at the same time. The two just don't blend well - at least this time!

I thought the oriental take on the vampire theme was interesting and had hopes that there would be some chilling moments, but when even the undead are flying through the air throwing kicks, it's just cheesy. Don't even get me started on the crappy monster designs. Go back to the drawing boards fellas, you've got potential. You've also got a whole other aspect of monsters in Asia that Americans are not familiar with from your own mythology. And I don't mean Godzilla.


This Film truly is awful, i bought it expecting a good HongKong Zombie-Vampire flick! great stunts wild & fast! but what you've got here is wild & utterly ridiculous! The Zombies/Vampires are like Cardboard cutouts, fake stiff dummies with NO movement whatsoever! apart from the occasional clutch of the hand! the effects are poor! really pour! the zombies don't even bite the neck from what i saw, i managed half hour & that was painful enough, really 1 of the worst vampire genre movies, & possibly the worst film i own. Avoid like the plague! Poor acting! poor film, don't be fooled by the trailer either! Not even worth a vote, my opinion, for Vampire films the Dusk Til Down trilogy(Mainly The First), and for Zombies, Resident Evil 1&2, and Dawn of the Dead(Remake Starring Ving Rhames).


What makes this action drama particularly moving is the comparison between the extended family of a Sicilian crime boss and the clannishness of the hillbillies. While Joey Rosellini insults the mountain folks as people "who farm rocks" his boss John Isabella sees the link -- "that is what they said about our people back in the old country." It is not a matter of who wears the nicer suit; it is a matter of blood, of kinship, and of ensuring that the one with the greater grievance has justice is done for his family. This is a very old tradition, both in the Sicilian families and in those Celtic clans that moved into the hills of Appalachia. In this aspect "Next of Kin" reaches a level of art not usually found in action films. The scene of the women packing sandwiches for the big hunt shows a level of clan community not well understood by us city-folk.

Watch this film and enjoy.


I have lived in Chicago all my long life, and I really appreciated the authenticity of the location scenes. The area around Wilson and Broadway is exactly where the "hillbillies" (forgive the term), especially the single men, generally migrate. The characters in the flophouse and bars must have been taken right from the street. The "project" was recognizably Cabrini-Green, and Truman and Jesse's restored three-story house could almost be pinpointed to Lincoln Park (except that the "bad guys", and Truman, would never have found such open parking - they'd still be circling the block).

The cemetery where the final showdown occurred is Graceland on Clark Street, as everyone who has toured or visited this landmark would know. It was an agony to watch these historic monuments being blown to bits - I had to keep chanting "it's only a movie, it's only a movie".

But the readiness of the Kentucky family to jump into the fray was very real. That wonderful scene of the pickup truck on its northbound trek up Lake Shore Drive has its counterpart in everyday life, so I've been told.

Liam Neeson is a revelation. It's hard to believe that the same actor who plays to perfection this tight lipped, lean and mean mountain man, will later be nominated for an Oscar for his heart-rending portrayal of a sophisticated German industrialist.

Truman Gates may be my favorite Patrick Swayze character. There's plenty of blood-and-guts action, but it's easy to believe that a concert violinist would fall madly in love with this exciting, unusual cop. Helen Hunt, as his wife, and Michael J. Pollard as a benighted flophouse manager, are excellent in their roles.

See this movie for a good story, authentic characterizations, and non-stop interest.


Patrick Swayze stars in this action crime drama as a Chicago cop from the south avenging the death of his brother. So the plot is pretty basic, so what, it is still an enjoyable action/crime-drama. The cast was very good in this film, which includes Liam Neeson, Bill Paxton, Helen Hunt, Adam Baldwin, and even Ben Stiller in a smaller role. The action was pretty good too, especially the chase on top of the train. The film also used its Chicago locations very well, which is something I like in movies. The film has a few faults, including an extremely predictable ending. But aside from that its a fun film for action fans. 3.5/5


Worth watching as both a vigilante movie and as a meditation on the meaning of family, this movie surprised me with the level of it's performances. Liam Neeson contributed his usual fine job, as did a nicely creepy David Baldwin, and a nice mob boss performance by Andreas Katsulas (better known as the One Armed Man from the Harrison Ford movie of "The Fugitive"). Good little wussy role by Ben Stiller; nice supporting job by Helen Hunt. Patrick Swayze does a good dependable job in this movie, but is outshone by the finely understated performances of the men playing his relatives from backwoods Kentucky. Great use of Chicago locations, though the "L" trains running past my house don't appear to have the conveniently flat roofs to jump on. (Alright, a minor quibble). All in all, quite worth watching.


This film is a very average 80's action/thriller. There really isn't a lot of action until the end, but I can't imagine it being categorized as anything else because the plot was so transparent and shallow that it couldn't be considered a drama or anything. This one has it all: Cheesy lines, the aforementioned bad plot, horrid and forced acting and really bad special effects.

The movie's upside, which most people already pointed out, is the cast. What were these people thinking when they agreed to be in this stinker? There's tons of big names in this film from when they were very young. Ben Stiller as a mobster, Liam Neeson as a 'hillbilly', Helen Hunt as the girlfriend...Adam Baldwin, Bill Paxton, and obviously Patrick Swayze. Speaking of Swayze, it's movies like this that really stopped his career from going from 15 minutes of fame to possibly 15 or more YEARS of fame.

Bad accents, forced acting, out of place casting and everything else mentioned above made this movie a below average film even for its time. Unless you're a Swayze nut, stay away from this movie.


I chose this movie for a report in my Communications class. I have seen it several times but looking at it from a different angle this time, I saw the development of Swayze's character or his return to his family roots. However you want to look at it. The first time I saw this movie I was blown away by Liam Neeson's portrayal of Briar Gates, he brings his character to life as much as any actor as ever brought a character to life in any movie. Years later when I discovered that Liam was british my opinion of his acting abilities skyrocketed. My favorite quote in the movie was by Liam, "My name is Briar Gates and I want the man that kilt my brother." In print it doesn't sound like much but when he delivers it, this quote is truly amazing.


From the score here I see that this movie is not enjoyed by all and is a universally well liked movie, but I thought it was rather good. The plot for me was much better than "Roadhouse" and you had an array of stars in this one to really make the movie good. Not only do you have Swazye, you get Liam Neeson too. Heck, you even have a young Ben Stiller in a small, but important role. The story has a guy from the south in the hills someplace as a cop in a big city. His brother is killed and while on a trip back in the hills his other brother wants revenge so he comes back to the city to seek out his revenge. About all there is to it with the plot though there is a surprise near the end of the film. The plot takes us to a couple of distinctly different locals on the way too as you have the city and you have the mountains too. The bad guys in this one are rather good too and the action is not super shoot em up or anything, but it is fairly exciting to watch. I liked the scene where Liam Neeson's character evaded capture by using trains to get away. In the end it is a bit different and while nothing spectacular it did entertain me.


After the success of Dirty Dancing Patrick Swayze embarked on a string of tough guy films. All of which were bad beyond belief. Mr. Swayze may know how to dance but his acting prowess leaves a lot to be desired. Next of Kin is one of those bad beyond belief films. Swayze plays Truman, a Chicago cop who is searching for the killer of his brother. To make a long story short Truman comes from a white trash background in hillbilly country and he seems to be the only one who made it out and the rest of his family is well...hillbillies. The ending of this film was so hard to believe I was laughing my head off. Do you suppose that a group of backwoods rednecks would be able to come to Chicago and be able to find their way around? Well that is what they did plus help in finding and killing the people responsible for killing Truman's brother.

Liam Neeson must have been hurting for money to be in this one.


I remember seeing this film when I was 13 or so. I enjoyed it then, and I still enjoy it today.

The plot is simple. WHile doing a hijacking of their own company truck, the truck's driver is murdered. Little do they know that the murdered trucker has a brother who's a Chicago Police officer.

The murder only helps to strain the relation of Truman Gates (Swayze) and his brother, Brior (Neeson)and Truman with the rest of the family. Many of whom feel betrayed because Truman left the simple country life for the bright lights of the big city. This is much evident in the scene in which Gates and his wife (greatly played by Helen Hunt in a small role) arrive via a train. When Gates says that his family "ain't too comfortable around strangers" his wife replies "I'm not a stranger, I'm your wife." To which Gates replies "I wasn't talking about you." Despite the over the top premise, then film spends it's opening act to develop the characters, something that in todays special effect overdose, seems to have been greatly lost. The Gates brothers go on the usual hunt to find the killers.

There is even some humor involved, as Neeson and Swayze banter well with each other. This is also a early starring role for Ben Stiller, who's gone on to make a string of forgettable formula comedies. The film also features, in minor roles, Bill Paxton as the ill fated Gates brother, Michael J. Pollard, and ANdres Katsulas as the mafia family head.

The grand finale that takes place in the grave yard is a little over the top. However, the final resolution between the families shows the vengeance doesn't need to be taken on the innocent bystanders. ANd with the loss of his two brothers, Truman soon finds himself at a cross roads.

If you're looking for Lawrence of Arbia, keep looking, because you're not going to find it here. If you are simply looking for a movie that intends to do nothing more then be entertaining for the viewer, this is perfect for you.


Although Patrick Swayze is at his best in the romantic and light humour films such as Fatherhood, To Wong Foo: Thanks For Everything; Julie Newmar, Dirty Dancing etc. 'Next of Kin' was definitely no disappointment for me. A would-be hillbilly-turn cop avenges his younger brother's murder in a lawful manner, while a third brother goes about it in typical redneck-hillbilly style, causing more problems and endangering them both, as well as the pregnant wife of Truman (Swayze). The best part has to be the graveyard scene, where Truman's whole family takes on the bad guys, but their brother's murderer ends up being shot by his own father! With an excellent twist to the end, this is nothing short of a good flick to have sitting around for a rainy day.


The Brothers Bloom starts off with a bang of cinematic energy. We're introduced, by a kind of whimsical narrator not unlike one might have remembered from Pushing Daisies, to the brothers, Stephen and Bloom, as children in a town where everything is one-note: one group of kids, one store, one this or that. Stephen, the more inventive one of the duo (or rather, the one that will whip up a plan with a quirk or two not unlike Owen Wilson in Bottle Rocket), devises the first con to be that of intriguing the hell out of a group of kids- first part introducing Bloom to a girl, which he likes right away- and then leading to a cave that tricks them all into believing something is there which, of course, is not.

This entire section, about five to ten minutes, is a brilliant short film, self-contained within itself and donning the kind of energy that, again, can be comparable to Wes Anderson. This is not to knock Rian Johnson as an original talent. He is. But for anyone that's seen any of Anderson's films, specifically Bottle Rocket and Rushmore and Life Aquatic, this is that kind of speedy intro that includes very precise pans and movements with the camera and facial expressions that mark this as something, well, "different". This also appears to be how the rest of the story will pan out, this distinctive, acute and stylish endeavor of film-making, as the brothers, grown up (Adrien Brody as Bloom, Mark Ruffalo as Stephen) are continuing with their cons until Bloom wants out, leading up to the typical "one-last-con" deal where-in they'll con a reclusive New Jersey heiress Penelope (Rachel Weisz) who has way too much time on her hands as well as money for the taking.

Then there's the complications, of romance between Bloom and Penelope, and the complication that she's let in on Stephen and Bloom being "artifact smugglers", then the appearance of a certain nefarious figure known as "Diamond Dog", and meanwhile their Silent Bob figure, Bang Bang (Rino Kikuchi), tags along as someone who we only find out late in the game of the story that she has a cell phone (?) and can make origami at just the right moment.

All of this makes The Brothers Bloom sound quite plot driven, not to mention the ups and downs and twists and turns of the cons that happen, or don't, between the brothers, Penelope, the revelations, etc. Depending on the viewer, and how much they'll want to believe or, frankly, how many movies they've seen of this type (one could see this as being a slick parody of a film like 2003's Confidence, also co-starring Rachel Weisz if memory serves), it's like following magicians doing work, not believing a thing or believing everything. Or some of it, perhaps. It's almost like the Prestige if it didn't actually want the audience to believe in magic. More that Johnson wants the audience to make the distinction between characters who draw their own reality and can't seem to break out into their own "unwritten" roles.

And yet, for all the story's twists and turns, its strengths are in the characters. It's actually, not too unlike Anderson (again, sorry), more European influenced in that regard as it takes us along on its journey because of the characters, not the other way around. This helps since the characters all work with their respective players, more or less. More because of Adrien Brody and Rachel Weisz, who play off each other wonderfully as an at-first awkward couple who get further romantically involved (there's a wonderful, spot-on charming scene where we see them kiss, and we understand clearly Penelope is having her first French-style) and connect closest with how Johnson casts them. Less with Ruffalo, who grew on me as the film went on, mainly towards the end (his last scene, without spoiling much, is a keeper for his extended reel), since he's meant to be conniving and devilish but doesn't really fit in even as he's good at delivering the lines and countering Brody and Weisz.

The other way it's also European is that it's meant to be, and is, a director's tour-de-force. As the sophomore effort of Rian Johnson, after his first very impressive debut Brick (which, I should note, also tooled playfully with conventions of a genre as he attempts here), he's aiming quite high. The only problem that I encountered with it was that, perhaps by some proxy of the script, it takes a lot to really get emotionally wound up with these people.

The style of his camera, the tricks of his editing, are like cons in and of themselves, but there's (apologies for this over-used word) quirks to the proceedings that deflate some scenes that would work much better in straightforward terms (I may have been the only one rolling my eyes at the "knickname" for Bang Bang being Yuengling with the line "Yuengling, like the beer?"). Sometimes this excess-of-style works well, like when we flash through all of the "hobbies" Penelope does in her countless spare time at her mansion. Other times, sad to say, it just calls attention to itself without being cool-hip ala Ocean's Eleven or warm-hearted ala (one more time) an Anderson picture.

And yet, for the gripes I might have had, it's impossible for me to ignore what Johnson has shown here and in Brick. He delivers characters we want to watch and situations that unfold with diverting, entertaining results, even as one might never fully believe what will happen next. Or maybe we do. He's a director that isn't going away, and to me this is a good thing. That's no con. 7.5/10


Conning Linguists: The Brothers Bloom In a summer full of dumber than dumb spectacle, and subtext free action porn "The Brothers Bloom" is a breath of fresh air.

With wit, warmth, and beautiful settings galore the film creates a delightfully wacky alternate world full of whimsy, romance, and adventure.

At the beginning of the film we meet two orphaned brothers, Stephen Bloom (Mark Ruffalo) and Bloom Bloom (Adrien Brody). From the age of 10, the brothers are con-artists, always spinning yarns and creating characters, inventing new and increasingly elaborate ways of separating their mark from his money while also giving him exactly what he wants in life. Everything changes when Bloom decides to get out of the game and Stephen lures him in for one last swindlea beautiful and quirky millionaire (Rachel Weisz) who yearns for a taste of adventure.

The Brothers Bloom is the second feature from writer/director Rian Johnson. He previously took the indie world by storm with his award winning debut, "Brick". As with "Brick" Johnson again takes elements of several fallow genres and remixes them into something that feels both new and old all at once. The result is nothing short of magical. The characters pop off the screen and the dialogue and images loop back in on themselves making winking references that are sure to inspire fits of giggles from anyone who stayed awake during AP Lit. But, even if you don't recognize the title as a Dostoevsky reference, the film is sure to entertain.

At the center of it all is Brody who is tasked with playing the straight man during the film's increasingly convoluted comic twists and turns. Perpetually at his side is Ruffalo, who has great fun playing the off the wall, yet always-sincere idea man who writes his schemes the way Russians write novels. The chemistry between the duo is infectious. It's like the two have known each other for their entire lives. They could not look less similar, and yet one never questions their bond.

Weisz is absolutely electric as the object of Brody's affections and the subject of Ruffalo's confidence game. She plays the kind of bubbly, strange woman that really only exists in movies but imbues her with a quiet sadness that grounds the entire picture and ensures that the more surreal elements never take too much of a hold on the film.

Though there is only one large-scale explosion, "The Brothers Bloom" demands the big screen treatment. It was filmed all over Europe and South America and the locations are used to great effect. These aren't sound stages, and it really makes a difference. Every shot is impeccably framed, it's as if Hal Ashby shot "The Sting".

The film is not for all tastes. It requires attention from the viewer, and plays at a leisurely pace compared to many films currently in theaters, and some of the more action oriented beats don't quite gel with the rest of the film, but for those who can appreciate a story that gives itself room to breath, and for those willing to forgive the overly long third act, there is plenty to love.

Most of the movies coming out over the next few months are simply product, attractive, eye catching, and ultimately little more than 90 minute advertisements for the sequel. Not so with "The Brothers Bloom." If you've got a girlfriend and you owe her a decent date movie you can't do much better than this. If you have a boyfriend and you don't want to make him suffer through "Ghosts of Girlfriends Past" this is a great choice. If you've already seen all the action spectaculars, here's something else to see. Or, you know, if you just like good movies


Like Brick, much of Rian Johnson's new film The Brothers Bloom is filled with crackerjack storytelling, snappy dialogue, and extraordinary visual panache. Unlike Brick, most of these arts are devoted to making us laugh, and the first 1/2 to 2/3rds of the movie are very funny indeed, and well worth seeing.

But there's an ambiguity established while we're enjoying ourselves: is this movie fundamentally about the Brothers Bloom, or about their last con, an eccentric, beautiful young heiress named Penelope Stamp? Sure, the movie is named for the Brothers, but not only was the script originally titled Penelope, Penelope's quirky character also still brims with so much mystery and potential for surprise in the finished film that one can't help but wonder if the resolution of her character's journey won't place the spotlight firmly on her.

Alas, it does not. Somewhere between Act IV and Act V, the focus shifts firmly back to Stephen and Bloom, leaving at least one major mystery about Penelope (how she talks herself out of a major jam in Prague) unresolved.

Not that Penelope is the only one with major mysteries left unresolved. I would've liked to have known why two brothers named Stephen and Bloom were collectively referred to as the Brothers Bloom. Does that mean Bloom's full name is Bloom Bloom? Given that another character's name is Bang Bang, I suppose it's not beyond consideration.

In the final analysis, though I definitely wanted to know more about the resolution of the Prague caper, movies can use more, not less unresolved mystery. But what's unavoidably disappointing about the finish of the Brothers Bloom is the feeling of lost potential as Penelope is pushed off center stage and relegated to a supporting role for the last part of the movie.

Stephen says a couple of times that everyone gets what they want in the perfect con, but this con didn't give me what I wanted.

All that said, I'll still be lining up for tickets ASAP when Johnson's next film comes out.


Great and touching comedy that has probably the best performance by Rachel Weisz ever and that's a big thing to say considering the fact that she's great in pretty much everything she does. She simply steals this movie and grabs your funny bone with a funny and charming performance that will leave you wanting more. Mark Ruffalo and Adrien Brody are also great as the brothers who try to con her and Rinko Kikuchi is great as our generations Harpo Marx's and her performance is great as well. The ending is a bit out there but the movie itself is well worth it and will make you think back on what was going on.

And one more thing, to Lawson from Singapore, Rachel deserves her Oscar for "The Constant Gardener" and this film solidifies it. She an amazing actress.


Rian Johnson, the writer/director of the Dashiell Hammett-inspired 2005 high school noir BRICK, proves he's not a flash in the pan with his new action-comedy-adventure, THE BROTHERS BLOOM (TBB) It's hard for me to sing this movie's praises without giving away its many twists and fun surprises, so let me just say it's a deft blend of quirky, globe-trotting con-man caper, daffy romantic comedy, and surprisingly poignant family dramedy about brothers at a crossroads, not to mention gorgeous to look at with its colorful surroundings and a fashion sense that's hip and sharp without being obnoxious.

The whole cast is wonderful, but I was particularly taken by Rachel Weisz and Adrien Brody. Weisz blossoms like a flower filmed in time-lapse photography as Penelope, the lonely heiress who's thrilled to throw herself into the Bloom brothers' shenanigans using the skills she's gleaned from other people's hobbies. I particularly enjoyed her goofy/passionate reactions when she's kissed by Adrien Brody's character, Bloom (that's the only name he's addressed by in the film; it's one of the few things that's never explained), and we realize this is the very first time Penelope has EVER been kissed by ANY man! As Bloom, Brody is a fine match for Weisz, doing a gentle comedic take on the soulful characters he does so well as he finds himself falling in love with Penelope, longing for an "unscripted life" instead of living just to populate the elaborate, "Russian-novel"-like con games created by older, craftier brother Stephen (Mark Ruffalo, an endearingly scruffy rogue). Rinko Kikuchi steals every scene as walking sight gag Bang Bang, so-called because she's a whiz with explosives, practicing on toys cobbled together from old Barbie dolls and other toys.

Robbie Coltrane and Maximilian Schell round out the cast quite nicely indeed, particularly Schell's colorful turn as the dangerous Diamond Dog, the Fagin type who taught the brothers everything they know. Admittedly, it would have been nice to know exactly how Penelope talked her way out of the trouble she got into with the Prague police -- another of the aforementioned few things that's never explained. I was left assuming Penelope simply bought her way out of it; she IS rich, after all. :-) Still, the film was so entertaining otherwise, it seems churlish to nit-pick.

For those of you who loved BRICK, keep an eye out for some of its cast members, including its femme fatale Nora Zehetner in an early scene. TBB is not only a thoroughly enjoyable con-man movie, but I'd go so far as to say it's the most purely entertaining film Adrien Brody has been in so far (yes, even more so than Peter Jackson's lollapalooza KING KONG remake). It's a miracle TBB actually showed up here in our little burg at all, so look for it in your area. You'll be glad you did!


I have to say , this movie was certainly a breath of fresh air compared to the rest of the crap that has been coming out of the big production houses.

If your looking for a different movie all together , with a good story line , great acting and lovely music score ( composed by Nathan Johnson , its perfectly matches the essence being portrayed in the movie) , this is it.

Adrien Brody , Mark Ruffalo and Rachel Weiz are just amazing through out the movie . The chemistry between Brody and Ruffalo is certainly a high light of the movie , they don't look like brothers but throughout the movie you hardly notice. Rachel Weiz is as always amazing. Love her character.

Of course i cannot go away without mentioning Rinko Kikuchi as Bang Bang ,hardly any dialogues in the movie apart from a few one liners ,including "FUCK ME " ( you cannot miss it :P ) she definitely steals the show as the quirky mysterious sidekick .

I am writing this right after watching the movie so my rating as of now is definitely 9, a must watch if your tired of the usual movies hitting the screens.

Recommended.


Rian Johnson has yet again come out of left field with another spectacular STORY driven movie charms as well as engages. In a summer full of sequels, prequels, and unoriginal ideas, PLEASE go support a director who is taking time to deliver new ideas to us, the viewing public.

There is nothing wrong with a good action flick, but there is something much better with a well thought out movie that takes us into a beautifully shot world of two con men. The director took the time to compose each scene in a unique fashion so the world we are in is 1 part 21st century and 9 parts timeless. Much like Brick, the story doesn't rely on technology, but it does casually remind us of the decade.

I'm not big on Mark Ruffalo or Adrien Brody, but they play their parts well. Rachel Weisz is the typical quirky pixie, but their characters are not what make the movie. Some people are faulting this movie for being predictable and it isn't perfect. (I give it a 10 because I want to impress upon people the need to support movies like this.) Remember though, every story in Hollywood has pretty much been told, but its how you tell it that matters.

The brothers bloom takes a typical story of two con men and turns it into a story for the ages.


Fresh-faced writer-director Rian Johnson does the unthinkable with his follow-up to 2005 cult hit "Brick," starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt: he actually outdoes himself, by again creating a fantastical yet believable universe with cinematic fiction. "The Brothers Bloom" is as ambitious as second films get -- it's about everything and nothing, with a plot that takes its characters trotting across Europe in an era that could be 2010 but which at times seems more like 1810, as they contemplate the meaning of life and art.

This film would not have worked without its incredible cast. Adrien Brody and Mark Ruffalo throw themselves full-on into the story, Rachel Weisz is again at the top of the form as the dreamlike, beautiful and haunting Penelope; and the supporting cast from Rinko Kikuchi to Robbie Coltrane are also having lots of fun along the ride. The original soundtrack is beautiful; the photography is beautiful, dynamic, colorful and daring; what is there to complain about?

Actually, quite a bit. There are holes in the plot, certain logical inconsistencies, and a general feeling that the film has more "heart" than "head," if I can put it that way. It's a bit confusing and the plot can buck you if you're not careful. However, after a second viewing I found that the plot does make sense, if you pay attention; and if you'll let it get into your head, there are rewarding depths of profundity and meaning in the tiniest details. This is a film to be watched again and again.

That said, I found the film to be so enjoyable and so original that it earns a 10/10 despite its flaws -- like a brief hint of a plot with a supposed nemesis that goes absolutely nowhere (save in the deleted scenes). I would also like to comment that the DVD has the best behind- the-scenes featurette of any DVD I've seen; instead of a hodgepodge of scenes from the movie you just watched, it's sincere, fun fly-on-the- wall hand-held footage of the actors and crew hard at work. We can't wait to see what this wunderkind does with his next project, Looper, which "is set in a present-day world in which a group of hit men are sent their victims from the future."


Rian Johnson, the writer/director of the Dashiell Hammett-inspired 2005 high school noir BRICK, proves he's not a flash in the pan with his new action-comedy-adventure, THE BROTHERS BLOOM (TBB) It's hard for me to sing this movie's praises without giving away its many twists and fun surprises, so let me just say it's a deft blend of quirky, globe-trotting con-man caper, daffy romantic comedy, and surprisingly poignant family dramedy about brothers at a crossroads.

The whole cast is wonderful, but I was particularly taken by Rachel Weisz and Adrien Brody. Weisz blossoms like a flower filmed in time-lapse photography as Penelope, the lonely heiress who's thrilled to throw herself into the Bloom brothers' shenanigans using the skills she's gleaned from other people's hobbies. I particularly enjoyed her goofy/passionate reactions when she's kissed by Adrien Brody's character, Bloom (that's the only name he's addressed by in the film; it's one of the few things that's never explained), and we realize this is the very first time Penelope has EVER been kissed by ANY man! As Bloom, Brody is a fine match for Weisz, doing a gentle comedic take on the soulful characters he does so well as he finds himself falling in love with Penelope, longing for an "unscripted life" instead of living just to populate the elaborate, "Russian-novel"-like con games created by older, craftier brother Stephen (Mark Ruffalo, an endearingly scruffy rogue). Rinko Kikuchi steals every scene as walking sight gag Bang Bang, so-called because she's a whiz with explosives, practicing on toys cobbled together from old Barbie dolls and other toys. Robbie Coltrane and Maximilian Schell round out the cast quite nicely indeed, particularly Schell's colorful turn as the dangerous Diamond Dog, the Fagin type who taught the brothers everything they know.

For those of you who loved BRICK, keep an eye out for some of its cast members, including its femme fatale Nora Zehetner in an early scene. TBB is not only a thoroughly enjoyable con-man movie, but I'd go so far as to say it's the most purely entertaining film Adrien Brody has been in so far (yes, even more so than Peter Jackson's lollapalooza KING KONG remake). It's a miracle TBB actually showed up here in our little burg at all, so look for it in your area. You'll be glad you did!


The first thing I asked myself when I walked out of the theater was: "What's with the silly hats?". It was of course afterwards that I realized that this question, however the most pertinent, was far from the only one I would ask myself that night.

In fact, going trough all those questions, I came to realize that "The Brothers Bloom" did not make one iota of sense to me. And, what's worse, I wanted to make no further effort at all to try and understand the movie better - which is rather uncommon for me.

throughout it's labyrinthian plot, this "conmovie" from beginning to end seems to be trying only one thing: to con it's way out of any form of explanation. In stead, the plot just keeps wiggling and wurming it's way to the most unsatisfying and enigmatic conclusion I saw in years.


One of the best movies of the year and totally underrated! Adrien Brody came with a beautiful performance and i was actually surprised by the level of good acting that came along with this movie.

Rachel Weisz gave one of her best performances yet.

Adrien and Rachel click on stage and through their beautiful acting give us this wonderful movie witch everybody must see!

Congrats for Weisz, Brody, Ruffalo, and especially Rinko Kikuchi, the Japanese Oscar nominee for Babel.

If you liked Bandits ore Inside Man you will love this movie so please buy the DVD and watch it and you will not regret it!


Recap: The brothers Bloom, Stephen and Bloom, are master con-men. Since childhood they have conned people out of their money by taking them on some mysterious adventure. Now, Bloom wants out, but agrees to do a last con. A rich but seemingly bored heiress is their target, and the theft of mysterious book in Prague their tale. But Bloom grows attached to their mark, Penelope, and the feelings seem mutual. Suddenly truth and tale mix and everyone has problems to tell what is true or not.

Comments: A really nice movie with a little odd twist. In these con artist movies the audience is usually in on the con, and the suspense is usually on some weak link in the plan that must come through. But in the Brothers Bloom it is a little bit different, and refreshing. Because one of the con men themselves, Bloom, is not sure of what is real or what is fake, we can't get any more clues either. We, just as Bloom, must put the pieces together for ourselves. Quite a intriguing concept.

It is well acted. There are four lead characters, apart from Stephen and Bloom also Bang Bang, a Japanese explosive experts that help them and Penelope, their mark. And what's nice is that all character has much more than one level to them. They hide something, or don't tell all at least, and the actors and actresses show this perfectly. Especially Penelope (Rachel Weisz) manage to radiate innocence and at the same time be surprisingly adept to the brothers criminal ways. There seem to be so much more to tell about her, I wouldn't actually mind a sequel that used her a little more.

Mark Ruffalo and Adrien Brody have some nice report between them. A tongue in cheek way about them about how to proceed best with the con. But also Rinko Kikuchi acts very well as the explosive expert that seem to have taken a vow of silence (except while singing karaoke of course). Kikuchi bears watching in the future as she has shown to be a great talent already (i.e. Babel). I hope she finds her way into more movies that is accessible in the west.

The Brothers Bloom is a good piece of craftsmanship in the con genre. Fans of the genre is almost certain to enjoy it. I wonder what writer/director Rian Johnson will be up to next. I hope he put something together soon, as he seem to have nice ideas and capable to realize them well.

7/10


Bottom line is, if you like Coen Brothers movies, you'll likely enjoy The Brothers Bloom. I'm not implying TBB is a Coen Brothers rip-off, simply that it fits within that genre, whatever that genre actually is.

The film is very funny and enjoyable through most of it. Some of the early scenes between Adrien Brody and Rachel Weisz are sidesplitting. And let's face it, Rachel Weisz is an absolutely adorable actress and person. Any film with her in it is going to bolster its rating on that fact alone, and she delivers the goods too.

However, TBB has some big misses as well. We're introduced to characters without really getting to know anything about them, why they are there and what real relationship they have with the Bloom brothers. Despite the fact that they are very obviously important to the brothers and the story both.

Some of the scenes were overly melodramatic for the initial lightheartedness of the film as well. Adrien Brody's character was a little too tortured by morality and self-angst to be believable or enjoyable, considering the life he has chosen for himself. This, despite having an epiphany two thirds of the way through the film which really could have opened his character up, but sadly didn't. It fell completely flat leaving you wondering why they even left it in the film in the first place. Much of the film leaves you feeling this way.

But despite this, The Brothers Bloom is still a very enjoyable movie. It's faults are easy enough to overlook if you just want to enjoy a movie for its cinematic eye-candy, a good cast, and some very funny scenes. A solid 7/10.


There is little to say about The Brothers Bloom that isn't already apparent or expected. Its plot strands can be likened to a chain link fence, a netting of steel wire. The characters are puppets whose master, Rian Johnson, has positioned them to do whatever it is that is most clever and elaborate to do, the fleshing out process relegated to secondary station. That is my take, and I was vastly entertained by Johnson's prior debut film Brick, which tells the classic film noir story in the milieu of everyday high school kids who rap the textbook Chandlerisms and sollipsistic slang. Both of these films are all style. And I mean all.

Mark Ruffalo totally absorbs the stylistic priorities, embroidering his otherwise natural cool with the spiffed-out black-suit-sunglasses-and-vice-substance image of the cinema's self- complementing criminal mastermind who lives luxuriously from the spoils of his aggrandized labor. This is a signification that builds up the classy ingenuity of the central con, which, though it absolutely has its definite laugh-of-mischief moments, is built up way too high. Adrien Brody is at times like the sensitive pragmatist who embodies the id with which we identify, as opposed to Ruffalo's avatar of the ultimate self-image, and they have likewise differing relationships with the respective women. The seeming turning point of the bluff- happy narrative is that Brody finds himself connecting with the millionaire eccentric played by Rachel Weisz, who makes a turning point of her own by revealing a certain penchant for madcap comedy. Brody and Weisz seemingly begin to have seemingly soft feelings for each other because they seemingly understand one another's loneliness and displacement. Meanwhile, there is Rinko Kikuchi, who actually plays another non-speaking character just as she did in Babel, but here she is Bang Bang the munitions expert. She has an almost butch self-assurance and dominant sexiness that speak for her, as opposed to her longing for acceptance in Babel.

Then Robbie Coltrane comes in to play Robbie Coltrane, which isn't inexorably bad, and brilliant Oscar-winning Austrian actor Maximilian Schell is brought back from the dead to play Diamond Dog, some kind of Mordorian-looking mystery figure. He is in his first major English-language film in ages, and he is wasted here. That, as far as I'm concerned, is the only true crime to occur in the film.

The other crimes---when the seeming brothers are children pulling their first big con, their scheme to seemingly masquerade as antique dealers and seemingly commandeer Weisz's fortune, the almost displacing effect it has by seemingly falsifying every reality it presents-- -for all their far-reaching wit and larcenous archery, boil down essentially to be just what we expect from a con film. And at any rate, considering the low frequency at which such movies have come out for the past few years, that's not bad.


The brothers Bloom were orphans and from a very early age learned that being con-men could get them through life. But their escapades usually meant they stayed with a prospective family only a short time. As a result they grew up without a family.

The older brother, Stephen Bloom, was really the instigator, his younger brother was timid but good at following instructions. Their first con that we see, when they are 13 and 10, get them 30 dollars from the neighborhood kids, and a kickback from the local dry cleaner!

Mark Ruffalo is the adult Stephen, and Adrien Brody is his younger brother, always referred to simply as Bloom. Bloom has decided to get out of the con game, he wants something different out of life. But Stephen convinces him to do just one more con.

Their target is the pretty and filthy wealthy Rachel Weisz as Penelope Stamp. Because of a botched allergy test when she was a young girl, she grew up virtually isolated in her large home, but on her own learned many things, including languages, card tricks, music, etc. Now that her father has recently died the Brothers Bloom figure she will be easy prey.

The twist is that Bloom falls in love with Penelope.

The assistant to the Bothers Bloom is Japanese actress Rinko Kikuchi who virtually never speaks, as Bang Bang, good at blowing up things. A co-conspirator is Robbie Coltrane as a Belgian, The Curator. And it was good to see Maximilian Schell, almost 80, as Diamond Dog.

Good movie, entertaining all the way.

MAJOR SPOILERS: As the movie unfolds we see that many of their cons involve fake shootings with blanks and fake blood. In the very last scene Bloom finds his brother Stephen in a deserted building with blood and facial swelling. He assumes it is fake also. But after he leaves Stephen to motor off with Penelope he notices that the "fake blood" on his shirt is turning brown. It is real blood, Stephen really was mortally wounded. But Bloom got what he wanted, to be free from the con business and with Penelope. Stephen sacrificed his life for his brother's happiness. As Stephen always said, "The perfect con is where everyone gets what they want."


I just got back from the con movie/drama/mystery/romance/comedy, The Brothers Bloom, and I got to tell you, it's one of the best films so far this year. Adrien Brody and Mark Ruffalo are excellent as brothers Bloom and Steven. As kids, they were troublemakers getting kicked out of orphan homes because of their appalling behavior. As a kid, Bloom falls in love with a girl. As kids, Bloom and Steven only talked to each other. When Steven realizes Bloom cannot talk to her, he plans a con with the first step being Bloom talks to the girl. Steven ends up making money off this con. Fast-forward to adulthood. Steven thinks up brilliant cons which Bloom participates in. The great thing about the cons in this movie is that the cons are brilliant, but unlike most con movies, the cons are believably brilliant. Rachel Weisz is hilarious as the wacky Penelope, a woman who collects hobbies. When Bloom talks to her, he figures out she has some amazing talents. She participates in the con. The twist is Penelope does not know they are participating in a con. Rinko Kikuchi (she played Chieko Wataya in Babel) is excellent in her almost wordless role as Steven's personal assistant, Bang Bang. This is a fantastic movie with a fantastic mix of genres and a lot of great performances. This movie has something for everyone, so no matter what you do, go see it.


I'm quite the sucker for films with con jobs, or about con-men going about designing elaborate ruses to rip off their mark, and then riding off into the sunset with their ill gotten gains. Films such as Confidence starring Ed Burns (and also Rachel Weisz) and Matchstick Men with Nicolas Cage and Sam Rockwell never fail to entertain me each time I watch them, and I'd want to add The Brothers Bloom to that list as well.

Written and directed by Rian Johnson, whose only film credit so far is the excellent Brick, with The Brothers Bloom he proves that he's not a one hit hack job, and continues to showcase his very creative, visual eye for beautiful images, and possession of a very keen storytelling sense in elevating a story about 2 con-men into fairy tale proportions.

Mark Ruffalo and Adrien Brody play the titular brothers Stephen and Bloom, who together with mute-by-choice Japanese sidekick Bang Bang (Rinko Kikuchi) who's anything but quiet, take on the world as confidence tricksters, milking the rich for some of their spare change by entering their lives, setting up the game plan, executing it to a tee, then disappearing, more often than not with Death roped in so that they could get away scot free. The prologue is most memorable and stylishly presented, setting the stage in which these two orphan boys would eventually find their calling in the world, and shape their characters.

And characters are what you must credit Johnson with, creating two brothers who are as different as the left and ride lobe of the brain. In Stephen he has crated the mastermind, the brains behind the multi-step con game each so succinctly written as one-liners that they are also used as inter-titles to logically slice the film into chapters. To Stephen, the end will justify any means, and he's quite the stone cold one with genuine affections only for his brother Bloom, looking out for him as they defend themselves from the harsh realities of the world.

In Stephen's con stories does Bloom come alive, being the intimately emphatic actor and becoming the catalyst for the duo's grand scheme of things. Adrien Brody brings about a lot of sensitivity to the role, being the timid of the brothers, yearning to live a richer, more fulfilling life than one which is based on deceit and always a puppet of his brother's script, manipulated to such an extent that calls for betrayal of trust, and an incident from childhood that forever haunts his memory (that introductory sequence is incredibly sassy too). Undoubtedly it leaves them both with plenty of money, but materialism cannot satisfy the itch for a more meaningful life, and thus his contemplation of quitting, to Stephen's despair.

The excellent character pieces also extend to the main wildcard in the story, that of Rachel Weisz's Penelope, a rich heiress stuck in her own four walls, spending time collecting hobbies and an innate array of skills, with no plans for the future and just living for the moment. In both Penelope and Bloom, they find an instant connection, being hermits in a cave, and now with each other, finding it all the more worthwhile to emerge from their shells. This story is also of their tale of growing up together and finding common connection, between themselves and the world. It also becomes a romantic movie for a little while, with Penelope's infectious enthusiasm being rubbed off and onto Bloom, that bit of optimism dousing out the negativity constantly felt by the latter, and get you in the mood to cheer both of them on as well.

One cannot review the film without making mention the production values. Eastern Europe provided much of the picturesque backdrop on which the story got told, jet-setting from one locale to another, while the costumes and suits used in the film, primarily in black and/or white, were simply gorgeously designed, that you'd do a double take at how pretty they look (or is it because the stars have the charisma to carry them off).

The Brothers Bloom is an aesthetically gorgeous movie, and one that shouldn't be missed for its wonderful cast and tightly woven and witty storyline. In fact I enjoyed it so much, that it ranks amongst my favourites of the year. A pity that it's only screening at one hall in Singapore, so make it a point to experience a film that's wildly exceptional from the current crop of stale summer blockbusters.


Rian Johnson created a great modern day noir film (which was also his debut as a director) with Brick that was really enjoyable. When the word about The Brothers Bloom started making its rounds, it immediately reeled me in. Johnson's style in The Brothers Bloom seems to almost mimic Wes Anderson's at times as several scenes (especially the first ten minutes or so) have a similar feel that seem to be shot in the same way you'd see in an Anderson film. The film also has a Kiss Kiss Bang Bang feel to it with how colorful every shot is. The tone was similar in both films as they both had humor as an underlying tone amongst a dramatic adventure revolving around crime. This film is just a real pleasure to look at. The cinematography seems to tell a story all on its own as every shot seems to be done in a unique way and everything is so vividly colorful.

Every factor of the film is strong. The story isn't entirely original as we've all heard con men stories before, but the way the story unfolds and the development of the characters involved makes it a new experience. The dialogue is also top notch. Nothing stuck out as being cheesy or hokey. Every line spoken was either witty, charming, or something you'd expect to hear in everyday conversation. So it was realistic and natural. The entire cast has to be the film's strongest point though. There doesn't really seem to be a character that's wasted or isn't used to their full potential. Rachel Weisz does steal the show though. Her character is so charismatic, outgoing, and eccentric that she just steals every scene she's a part of.

The Brothers Bloom is one of the best films to be released this year, which is a shame since it seems to have a limited release. It offers something for everybody looking for a good time at the movies whether it's an adventure that will take them around the world, romance between two of the central characters, an oddball character that's great comedic relief, the development of both brothers as characters as their crime of swindling people as con men causes drama, and even plenty of explosions to satisfy the action junkie. The conclusion of the film is both heartwarming and heartbreaking, as well. The Brothers Bloom will probably be overlooked by the many assured blockbusters coming out this summer, but it comes highly recommended from me and should be on everyone's must see list.