Blucher One of the worst movies I've ever seen

Smartorhypo Highly Overrated But Still Good

Tayyab Torres Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

Tobias Burrows It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

Sindre Kaspersen German screenwriter and director Tom Tykwer's fifth feature film which was written by Polish filmmaker and screenwriter Krzysztof Kieslowski (1941-1996) and Polish screenwriter Krzysztof Piesiewicz, is based on their trilogy "Heaven, Hell and Purgatory". It premiered In competition at the 52nd Berlin International Film Festival in 2002, was screened in the Special Presentations section at the 27th Toronto International Film Festival in 2002, was shot on locations in Italy, England and Germany and is a USA-Germany co-production which was produced by producers Stefan Arndt, Frédérique Dumas, Maria Köpf, Anthony Minghella and William Rorberg. It tells the story about a schoolteacher named Philippa Paccard who is arrested after having placed a bomb in an office building in Turin, Italy. During interrogation, she learns that four innocent people were killed in the bombing and that she is believed to be a member of a terrorist organization.Subtly and precisely directed by German filmmaker Tom Tykwer, this finely tuned fictional tale which is narrated from the two main characters viewpoints, draws an eloquent portrayal of a young Italian policeman who falls in love and begins sympathizing with an imprisoned English woman. While notable for it's naturalistic milieu depictions, sterling production design by production designer Uli Hanisch, cinematography by German cinematographer Frank Griebe and use of music, this character-driven and noir-like drama depicts two charming studies of character.This modestly romantic, atmospheric and at times humorous thriller which is set in the city of Torino and in the medieval renaissance hill town of Montepulciano in Italy, is impelled and reinforced by it's cogent narrative structure, endearing characters and the likewise acting performances by American actor Giovanni Ribisi and Australian actress Cate Blanchett. A quiet, imaginative and graceful love-story from the early 2000s.

jwassermann The never-ending brilliant ventures of Cate Blanchett and the directorial hand of Tom Tykwer brought me to this dubiously titled film. I'm glad I overcame my distrust. The film continues to haunt me. Blanchett's subtle portrayal of an English teacher in Italy's northern Torino region who is driven by the self-interested neglect of her husband's murder by the Carabinieri (police) into herself attempting to exterminate the the drug lord behind the murder, as well as the deaths of scores of children whose addiction has brought them to the ultimate despair - that performance is sublime. Then, in custody, as she learns that her home-made bomb has not killed the drug lord but has taken the lives of four innocent people, she is overcome by shock. Only the young police officer Filippo (Giovanni Ribisi) who brings her back to her feet, can feel in the coldness of her hand how genuine her response has been, rather than the play-acting ascribed to her by her interrogators. It is that moment that transcends the hopelessness of both Filippo and Philippa (Blanchett) have come to feel and drives the story to its end in a kind of "heaven" above Montepulciano, Tuscany. Realistic? Certainly not. A haunting piece of art. Absolutely.

j_solomons I will not bother with summarizing the movie. I challenge you to be surprised by the subject matter. I will however tell you it is an unthinkable premise, crafted poetically, seamlessly woven in a believable fabric. Blanchett and Ribisi effortlessly carry the movie, outshining the rest. That said, excellent performances delivered by all. While the movie plays out in a limited physical space, its realm of existence is anything but limited. It's almost like a play. The plot and mood absorb you gradually and seductively. This is my first review on IMDb after years of reading other reviews. And though this movie enjoys plenty of praise, here and elsewhere, I felt compelled to add mine, because it's so deserving of it. It never ceases to amaze me how surprised, and sometimes judgmental, some reviewers are at others. It seems people often forget we all look at life, and snapshots of it, through different eyes. Personally, I find that the reviews that hit home most with me, are those by people who seem to look through a similar lens. And mostly it ain't that hard to set them apart by reading between the lines. So if you seek a film with a story rather than just noise, and characters with depth and conviction, then this one is for you.

vijay700 Set in a small town in Italy, we get to see a school teacher (played by Cate Blanchett) resorting to very unconventional way of taking revenge against a drug dealer. The plan goes horribly wrong and she ends up in police custody. The story takes an interesting turn here and the ensuing scenes are filmed with exquisite lighting and music. A lot of the dialogue(which actually is used sparingly) is in Italian (with subtitles of course) but that just adds to the mood and the ambiance.Philippa (Cate Blanchett) and Filippo (Giovanni Ribisi) play out their roles in an extremely intense and inspired piece of acting. After seeing this film I am sure of one thing Cate Blanchett is definitely 'the most underrated actor of our times'.The story deals with evils of our times- drugs, corruption, deception while at the same time touches upon the emotions of revenge,remorse and romance. The cinematography is exquisite , especially the space cam technique used by the director(Tom Tyker- Run Lola Run ). The script's been written by the incomparable Krzystof Kieswlowski and Krzystof Piesiewicz. A beautifully shot film with a story which has elements of crime,suspense, and true love. Please see it and relish each and every scene of the film. 8 on 10.