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Amazon.co.uk Review
A heartbreakingly direct performance by Javier Bardem anchors Biutiful, a film from Mexican auteur Alejandro González Iñárritu (Babel, 21 Grams). Uxbal (Bardem) is not an admirable man: he's a criminal middleman, helping human traffickers and illicit street peddlers in Barcelona. But in the thick of his corrupt and compromised world, Uxbal strives to do some modest good: he demands heaters for the cold basement where illegal Chinese laborers sleep and he carefully scrapes together money for his children, whom he deeply adores. On top of all this, Uxbal can commune with the recently dead, and tries to pass on reassurance to the bereaved. When Uxbal himself is diagnosed with severe cancer, he desperately tries to leave behind something better for his children. This plot summary paints a bleak picture, and there's no question this is--much like Iñárritu's other films, including Amores Perros--an emotionally harrowing experience. But Biutiful is also visually rich and deeply humane, and holds moments of grace that can only be found in sadness and loss. The entire cast brings a fullness of life to all of the characters, no matter how briefly they appear, but Bardem almost never leaves the screen and carries the movie with magnetic force. --Bret Fetzer
Product Description
The story of a man in free fall. On the road to redemption, darkness lights his way.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
45 of 47 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Undoubtedly Inarritu's finest moment so far. A stunning trawl through the underbelly of a Barcelona that the tourists never see: drug trafficking; illegal immigration; sweatshops; bent cops and a spiritual intensity (bordering on magical belief) that is perhaps uniquely Iberian.
All this is portrayed in the life of Uxbal - at once a middleman for all sorts of illegal activity and a devoted father to two children whose mother is too unreliable to look after them. His imminent death forces him to look at his life and bring some sort of moral order to the chaos of his existence.
I simply can't agree with other reviewer's comments about over-complications and supposedly unnecessary additions. This 140 minutes speeds by as you are swept up in the final days of Uxbal - a less than perfect person trying to make the most of a less than perfect world. (The nightclub scene, for example, emphasises the essentially moral difference between Uxbal and his supposedly more respectable brother. The brother exploits `kids' sexually; Uxbal does everything to protect his kids and also some of the migrant workers he employs.)
Bardem has rightly been hailed for yet another outstanding performance - making us care about a deeply troubled character engaged in highly questionable activities. He brings out the quest for morality and spiritual tranquility that Uxbal attempts to find in his chaotic life.
But ultimately the greatness of the movie rests on the director's unique vision. No-one makes films like Inarritu with their mix of comedy and tragedy, pointless brutality and spiritual sense - life, in other words. I laughed, I winced, I wept - I cared about the characters that he created. I enjoyed the moments of beauty he uncovered in this violent, brutish world we all share. I wondered if there was any point to our existence - or if we are like the starlings at nightfall, playing out a choreographed dance for no obvious purpose.
If you are looking for a simple uncomplicated movie, a slice of `entertainment', then this probably isn't for you. If you care about the complex beast that is the human condition and you enjoy an artist's attempts to explore the reasons for our existence then you might find something to appreciate here.
All this is portrayed in the life of Uxbal - at once a middleman for all sorts of illegal activity and a devoted father to two children whose mother is too unreliable to look after them. His imminent death forces him to look at his life and bring some sort of moral order to the chaos of his existence.
I simply can't agree with other reviewer's comments about over-complications and supposedly unnecessary additions. This 140 minutes speeds by as you are swept up in the final days of Uxbal - a less than perfect person trying to make the most of a less than perfect world. (The nightclub scene, for example, emphasises the essentially moral difference between Uxbal and his supposedly more respectable brother. The brother exploits `kids' sexually; Uxbal does everything to protect his kids and also some of the migrant workers he employs.)
Bardem has rightly been hailed for yet another outstanding performance - making us care about a deeply troubled character engaged in highly questionable activities. He brings out the quest for morality and spiritual tranquility that Uxbal attempts to find in his chaotic life.
But ultimately the greatness of the movie rests on the director's unique vision. No-one makes films like Inarritu with their mix of comedy and tragedy, pointless brutality and spiritual sense - life, in other words. I laughed, I winced, I wept - I cared about the characters that he created. I enjoyed the moments of beauty he uncovered in this violent, brutish world we all share. I wondered if there was any point to our existence - or if we are like the starlings at nightfall, playing out a choreographed dance for no obvious purpose.
If you are looking for a simple uncomplicated movie, a slice of `entertainment', then this probably isn't for you. If you care about the complex beast that is the human condition and you enjoy an artist's attempts to explore the reasons for our existence then you might find something to appreciate here.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Every now and then a film comes along and engages you completely and draws you into its world and Biutiful manages that completely, for me anyway.
Cancer, immigration, spirituality, death, greed, love, relationships, corruption, loyalty...just some of the themes in two hours or so of stunning film-making. Never over-sentimental, not cliche-ridden, the film hits on these issues directly yet sensitively. Heartbreakingly good acting from Javier Bardem (Uxbal) makes the film, his presence throughout a combination of gentle and tortured at the same time.
The film is raw yet sensitive, harsh yet tender....this is without doubt Alejandro González Iñárritu's darkest film to date yet there is hope within it. Wonderful photography and acting, issues dealt with head-on...all in all a terrific film.
Cancer, immigration, spirituality, death, greed, love, relationships, corruption, loyalty...just some of the themes in two hours or so of stunning film-making. Never over-sentimental, not cliche-ridden, the film hits on these issues directly yet sensitively. Heartbreakingly good acting from Javier Bardem (Uxbal) makes the film, his presence throughout a combination of gentle and tortured at the same time.
The film is raw yet sensitive, harsh yet tender....this is without doubt Alejandro González Iñárritu's darkest film to date yet there is hope within it. Wonderful photography and acting, issues dealt with head-on...all in all a terrific film.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
This film will remain with me for a long time, outstanding performance from Bardem and I will certainly be looking out for more of films from this director. The ending sent shivers down my spine. Am looking forward to watching this all over again
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Javier - acting brilliance
A very different beast from Inarittu's other movies. No convoluted timelines and intersecting stories (excellent though those movies were)
Biutiful (is this how you really... Read more
Biutiful (is this how you really... Read more
Published 3 days ago by Mrs. V. F. R. Niekerk
Delightfully charged Masterpiece!!
Bardem is absolutly brilliant!
BIUTIFUL IS NOT NEAR PERFECT AT ALL BUT STILL THIS IS UP THERE WITH THE SKY HIGH MASTERPIECES WITH A FANTASTIC GLEE OF HOPE TO BECOME ONLY... Read more
BIUTIFUL IS NOT NEAR PERFECT AT ALL BUT STILL THIS IS UP THERE WITH THE SKY HIGH MASTERPIECES WITH A FANTASTIC GLEE OF HOPE TO BECOME ONLY... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Elizabeth
fantastic
wow,words cannot describe the intensity and beauty of this masterpiece....javier barden at his best, a wonderful script and a gifted and inspired director make this movie a... Read more
Published 3 months ago by A. Zuncheddu
not what I expected
Story was slow and in the end uneventful. I didn't find this at all biutiful. In fact I found it a bit lacking and just sad. I expected more from this director...
Published 4 months ago by Mr. C. P. Chatwin
a humble and harrowing ode to human status quo in catalunya
I hate when critics try to hype movies as most of them are almost puerile mockery of the genre themes they are derived from ,so i went to see Inarritu's 'Biutiful'very... Read more
Published 5 months ago by usman
Just realise what you're getting into...
It made me feel down, blud. Just down. For days after watching it. I don't think I would "recommend" it to any one. It certainly moved me, and it was well written and acted. Read more
Published 7 months ago by toomuchvimto
Not everybody cup of tea
Excellent, really worth watching, a master piece which shows aspects of life we never have time to think about. Biutiful is far from being beautiful it is glorious.
Published 7 months ago by Dumitru Puscasu
Unremittingly bleak
Was hardly expecting a fluffy popcorn movie, and would normally choose a European arthouse film more about character and atmosphere over virtually anything else, but this was a... Read more
Published 7 months ago by Rutlander
Bernard Matthews has nothing to do with this
If your looking for turkeys don't look here.This is another emotional ride through some pretty harrowing events. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Hime Arite
Tragic, thought provoking, draining and hard-work.
Javier Bardem is Uxbal, a dying man aware of his death, connecting with the family he is due to leave behind. It is sad, tough, arty, chilly, long and testing. Read more
Published 8 months ago by T. BROOKES
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