Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Style, pace and beauty, 5 Mar 2001
By A Customer
This film is brilliant - in turns stylish, fast-moving, and intriguing. Even without Monica Bellucci, it would be excellent. The cheating Max, around whom the whole story revolves, is brilliantly played by Vincent Cassel. And the slightly golden hue, in which the film is shot almost throughout, gives it added elegance as well as an almost surreal texture. But with Ms Bellucci, the film becomes almost mesmerising. For me, she is the film's pièce de résistance. Her Italian accent while speaking French, which lingers almost imperceptibly at the end of every word she utters, is simply delicious. This, combined with her stunning physical beauty (let's be honest here!), and a very believable character, make this film memorable and take it comfortably into 5 star territory. This film will stay in your mind long after watching it. So my advice is: Go and buy it now!
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41 of 43 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A great love story, 14 Dec 2003
I caught this film on TV at midnight a few years back. I was tired and just about to go to bed. But after the title sequence (brilliant tune "It's the same") and the first minute, I was hooked. The film got better and better all the way to the end and the next day I was seeking out the video.This is a great love story, with a brilliant intricate plot and excellent performances. Vincent Cassel (also brilliant in La Haine & Irreversible) is captivated by his impossibly beautiful co-star and wife, Monica Bellucci (Irreversible), simply walking down the street. He stalks her and ends up meeting her in a shoe shop. From there the journey is set, and a love affair takes place. The tragedy that then enfolds is brilliant and quite heartbreaking. The chronology of the film is as complex as Pulp Fiction on first viewing and wonderful to follow knowingly on subsequent viewings. The beauty is in the portrayal of the simple twists of fate that occur in all our lives for the better or worse. Their simplicity sometimes has a farcical quality, and it is that which is quite tragic. This is a film that you have to have, and yet again proves the mastery of French film-making over the rest of us. There is also the love story between myself and Monica Bellucci that first night I saw the film, but I'll keep that one to myself!
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15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the finest films of the decade, 16 Jan 2006
One of the striking things about this film is just how confident the direction seems to be. There is no hesitation, no fear, just a fluent film leading smoothly from one situation. It's difficult to believe that it was the director's first film, but it certainly can't have hurt to have an experienced actor like Vincent Cassell taking the main role. Cassell is superb as a man who knows who he wants, but all too often settles for second best, having had his heart broken before.The film follows him pursuing his old love (Monica Bellucci), but seemingly never able to quite get to her, and leaving in his wake (through no fault of his own) a trail of destruction behind himself and the other characters. The supporting cast is rock solid, and the story captivating. I watched this film and made it my mission in life to see all the films Cassell has ever made - he's really that good. If you like French films, buy it. If you like love stories, buy it. If you like good acting, good direction, good editing, buy it. In short, unless you don't like foreign language films, buy it, and if you don't like them, what are you doing reading this? Buy it!
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