Flyerplesys
Perfectly adorable
ClassyWas
Excellent, smart action film.
ChicDragon
It's a mild crowd pleaser for people who are exhausted by blockbusters.
siderite
This film is a tribute to Franz Kafka, with a plot inspired from his writings. Without reading at least one book by Kafka, the film is totally incomprehensible. A writer that lived at the end of the 18th century and the start of the 19th, he wrote about the depressing world of oppressing capitalism, the same mass oriented philosophy that inspired fascism and communism alike. His books were never happy and their ending was often depressing.So why should this film be any different? The plot is kind of shifty, but the acting, cinematography, location and music are great. After seeing this film, I can't imagine anybody else but Jeremy Irons in the lead role.Bottom line: it's about the feeling. The same dark feeling that Kafka expressed through his books is expressed by this movie. The story (a mix of Kafka subjects) is just a pretext. Be warned, though, that it is not an easy movie. It is a noir and heavy film.
moonspinner55
Director Steven Soderbergh's turn of the century tale about a small hamlet in Prague beset by the murders of a serial killer was ostensibly inspired by the writings of Franz Kafka, but the whole thing is really just an excuse to showcase the admittedly brilliant talents of several art directors and production designers. The film looks so incredible that one cannot help but be disappointed when the "plot" (such as it is) fails to take shape, or even attempt to involve the viewer. Able players Jeremy Irons, Theresa Russell and wily Joel Grey may be aware they're only part of a dog-and-pony show, but they manage to keep their dignity (with the exception of an overwrought Russell near the finish). A handsome failure, and immensely forgettable. *1/2 from ****
firstkyne
This is a strange creature: for a start, the first half is in black and white, then from a certain point the whole thing continues in colour. But more importantly, the real-life character of the writer, Kafka, has been bound up in an adventure story that he could have penned himself! The effect is of a whimsical, noire cartoon through which our hero stumbles, lost, for most of the time. But it is his bemused, everyday-ness which is his best defence against the hidden powers which are organised against him. In a way, it is disappointing when Kafka's paranoia is proved to be justified... the warped journey to this point is more fun than the pay-off. But this is a brave and playful film, at once terrifying and hilarious. The scene where the hero clumsily fights with an evil minion across the surface of huge magnifying glass, beneath which is a twitching, bloody brain undergoing maniacal experiments, is particularly bizarre, horrible and funny at the same time. 8/10
BroadswordCallinDannyBoy
This is a really weird movie. People will instantly recognize that it is an adaptation of Franz Kafka's writing, and that's exactly what it is. It isn't an adaptation of any one book of his, but rather of his writing as a whole. All the Kafka-esquire things you'd expect are here: conspiracy, paranoia, mystery, and the like. What is so amazing that they come together absolutely fantastically. The cinematography is especially ingenious and really captures the mysterious and cryptic look and feel of a Kafka tale. The use of color and B&W is pretty simple, but very effective. In fact the whole movie is pretty simple, there are no spectacular stunts or extraordinary set pieces, just a relentless, nail-biting, suspense as Kafka searches for answers to who murdered his friend. He receives help from a supposed rebel group who talks of a secret order and conspiracy that works from the confines of a mysterious looking building outside of town, but they are soon murdered...so Kafka goes to find the truth for himself. First-rate suspense all the way. 10/10Rated PG-13: some violence and grim content
