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Amazon.co.uk Review
Brilliantly conceived, superbly directed, and beautifully acted, Babel is inarguably one of the best films of 2006. Director Alejandro González Iñárritu and his co-writer, Guillermo Arriaga (the two also collaborated on Amores Perros and 21 Grams) weave together the disparate strands of their story into a finely hewn fabric by focusing on what appear to be several equally incongruent characters: an American (Brad Pitt) touring Morocco with his wife (Cate Blanchett) become the focus of an international incident also involving a hardscrabble Moroccan farmer (Mustapha Rachidi) struggling to keep his two young sons in line and his family together. A San Diego nanny (Adriana Barraza), her employers absent, makes the disastrous decision to take their kids with her to a wedding in Mexico. And a deaf-mute Japanese teen (the extraordinary Rinko Kikuchi) deals with a relationship with her father (Koji Yakusho) and the world in general that's been upended by the death of her mother. It is perhaps not surprising, or particularly original, that a gun is the device that ties these people together. Yet Babel isn't merely about violence and its tragic consequences. It's about communication, and especially the lack of it--both intercultural, raising issues like terrorism and immigration, and intracultural, as basic as husbands talking to their wives and parents understanding their children. Iñárritu's command of his medium, sound and visual alike, is extraordinary; the camera work is by turns kinetic and restrained, the music always well matched to the scenes, the editing deft but not confusing, and the film (which clocks in at a lengthy 143 minutes) is filled with indelible moments. Many of those moments are also pretty stark and grim, and no will claim that all of this leads to a "happy" ending, but there is a sense of reconciliation, perhaps even resolution. "If You Want to be Understood... Listen," goes the tagline. And if you want a movie that will leave you thinking, Babel is it. --Sam Graham
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Maybe it's an irony to find something that perhaps some find a downer, uplifting when feeling low.This is what happened for me last night when I watched this film. Life can be crap, but circumstances and what happens sometimes slips out of our hands. Life isn't fair, but anger does not solve this. It's just an effect that usually brings a result, which is more often than not, not good.
Anyway, of this film.I really do not feel like dissecting the beauty out of it, but seen this director's work before & felt sure was going to be good. It was. I will save for special times, but I will watch again & again.
Anyway, of this film.I really do not feel like dissecting the beauty out of it, but seen this director's work before & felt sure was going to be good. It was. I will save for special times, but I will watch again & again.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
'Babel' is a slow paced, slightly melancholy film that follows four different stories and the links between them. It is a lot more coherent to watch than '21 Grams' which was made by the same director and makes this more enjoyable as a result. The stories are a touch aimless at times and the endings, whilst linking up well, aren't very powerful. But I guess life is like that, you have events that have a major impact and then you keep on going, plus we are a lot more connected than we first realise. I guess that is what this film is trying to put across. The performances were excellent, especially Chieko, the japanese deaf-mute girl, where you really feel her frustrations and vulnerability and Brad Pitt who is better than I thought he'd be. The soundtrack, which is quite sparse, allowing the atmosphere of the film to permeate through, was moving when it had to be and was far enough in the background when most appropriate. The ending piece of music was especially moving and added perfectly to the final scene. This is a good film and worth a watch, it has no definite beginning, middle and end, but that in no way detracts from the various stories and their impact, although I feel that may have disappointed other reviewers here. Give it a view and decided for yourself, especially if you like the feel of '21 Grams' but not the convoluted or confusing storyline.
Feel free to check out my blog which can be found on my profile page.
Feel free to check out my blog which can be found on my profile page.
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Anyone watching this purely 'because it's got Brad Pitt in it' is clearly not going to get it, hence some of the poor reviews elsewhere on this site. This is no typical, mindless, fast moving action movie, nor does it follow a predictable, plot-by-numbers storyline with a clear-cut conclusion, and as such some viewers were always going to struggle.
But for those who enjoy something a little more thought provoking, this is a great watch. Basically we follow four separate, but interlinked (albeit fairly tenuously at times) storylines, exploring a common theme of communication (or lack of), in 3 highly contrasting environments. The film is visually stunning, and the acting felt realistic throughout. It's all fairly slow paced, but then it needs to be in order to let us fully absorb the atmosphere of the different locations and cultures.
It's not a film for the faint hearted. There are some scenes which may shock. But there are also some very touching moments. At times you will need to fill in the gaps, or draw your own conclusions, and I say that is a positive since far too many films are guilty of dictating to us exactly how we should feel. Put your thinking hat on and you'll be fine... just don't expect happy endings right across the board!
But for those who enjoy something a little more thought provoking, this is a great watch. Basically we follow four separate, but interlinked (albeit fairly tenuously at times) storylines, exploring a common theme of communication (or lack of), in 3 highly contrasting environments. The film is visually stunning, and the acting felt realistic throughout. It's all fairly slow paced, but then it needs to be in order to let us fully absorb the atmosphere of the different locations and cultures.
It's not a film for the faint hearted. There are some scenes which may shock. But there are also some very touching moments. At times you will need to fill in the gaps, or draw your own conclusions, and I say that is a positive since far too many films are guilty of dictating to us exactly how we should feel. Put your thinking hat on and you'll be fine... just don't expect happy endings right across the board!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Brilliant!
Really enjoyed this film! very thought provoking. Not my usual genre of film so made a pleasant change. Great acting from all the cast. Read more
Published 3 months ago by lolly26
If only I could give it no stars
This has to be up there in the five worst films I've ever seen. Two and a quarter hours of my life I'll never get back. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Booklover
Thought provoking film
Beautiful to watch, wonderful acting, and quite moving in places as you watch the stories unfold. There is no grand finale or wow moment when everything falls into place, and no... Read more
Published 13 months ago by Bacon Rolls
Amazingly underrated
I am astounded that this film has received an average rating of only three stars from reviewers. It is in my view a superb film, brilliantly acted, directed and even the music is... Read more
Published 13 months ago by Waterbaboon
Hold on to the fast forward button
I just found this to be a series of uncomfortable moments stitched together by moments of nothing happening.
I found I did have to fast forward through quite a bit. Read more
I found I did have to fast forward through quite a bit. Read more
Published 14 months ago by Halcyon Scarlet
If you want to be understood, listen
This film divides opinions. Is it too grim? Is it pretentious? Does it mean anything? I started watching it in 2010, got half way through the DVD, and didn't get around to... Read more
Published 14 months ago by The Big Pink One
Great film!
The reason I watched this film was due to visiting where it is filmed in Morocco, and it turned out our minibus driver was the driver of Brad Pitt's bus in the film! Read more
Published 16 months ago by Gem Stone
Only watched this because....
..... Cliff Thurlow says in his excellent book on Making Short Films that this is one movie all potential filmmakers should watch. Read more
Published 16 months ago by Justice Peace
Gripping!
I'm a big fan of the director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (most notably famous for the hugely popular Amores Perros) so there was no doubt I wanted to own this movie. Read more
Published on 24 May 2010 by Benson
Yes, but why ?
This guy can direct. The film is beautifully shot (Tokyo looks astonishing) and well acted by its multinational cast - the Brit tourists don't come out of it too well... Read more
Published on 29 Nov 2009 by A. Willard
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