Diagonaldi Very well executed

Robert Joyner The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

Bessie Smyth Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

Noelle The movie is surprisingly subdued in its pacing, its characterizations, and its go-for-broke sensibilities.

sol- Separated from her ill sister and facing deportation, a Polish immigrant is taken in by a burlesque show operator who may or may not have her best intentions at heart in this drama set in 1920s New York. The film holds no bars in depicting the difficulties of immigration as our disillusioned protagonist, played by Marion Cotillard, comes to accept an existence very different to what she once imagined. Cotillard's performance is rather multi-layered: simultaneously vulnerable and ruthless (resorting to stealing what she can), and simultaneously accepting of her fate and focused on achieving more. Joaquin Phoenix is also superb as the burlesque man with a breakdown scene near the end in which he finally drops all pretenses to reveal a beating human heart. Their situation is also complicated by Cotillard encountering Phoenix's estranged cousin, played by Jeremy Renner, and a love triangle develops that never quite clicks since we are unsure until the end whether Phoenix really loves her, and as it is never clear whether Renner really loves her either or just wants to make Phoenix jealous. Certainly, an animosity exists between the two cousins that the film does not explore in as much depth as it perhaps could have. Still, what the film does do well it does very, very well. It is quite rare to find a film with such a graphic insight into the harsh actual reality of the American Dream and Cotillard's character is very much one-of-a-kind. Torn between would-be saviours and false promises, she never once gives up hope, even if her own American Dream is decidedly different by the end.

gudpaljoey-78582 The Immigrant is a beautiful movie, marked by great photography and direction, and powerful acting, all told in a play that to my mind is a morality tale for modern times. Marion Cotillard's performance is especially powerful and was deserving of an Oscar. Mr. Phoenix continues to create a body of work that will rank him among our best actors. It is the tale of a virginal young woman escaping with her sister from the horrors of war in a country where both her parents were killed. Ewa the young woman is separated from her sister, sick with lung disease, at the port of entry in 1921 New York. She is determined to get her sister back and to survive she allows herself to be helped by Bruno, the Phoenix character, a man of questionable morals who leads her into prostitution. He becomes charmed by her innocence and dedication in spite of the life he has led her into, and continues to help her hoping that her response will lead to a love for him. The interplay between the two main characters is great cinema. When Ewa gets her sister back i could feel her well earned joy, and feel sorrow for Bruno, left to be punished but finally finding salvation by helping the young woman he came to love.

kosmasp Don't boil the movie down to one person/performance. Although if you do, you should be able to acknowledge the weight they are pulling here. The pacing might not be your thing, but the way the characters are portrayed is really great. There is a lot of gray areas to be dealt with here. Talk about more than 3 shades of it then ... Which not every movie can claim by the way! Just saying.You have to really dig the pace or you won't like the movie. It's a really hard story to follow, not because it's too fast, but because it's slow and might feel unnerving for some. But real life would be even more dragging than that. I like how the movie works and how they played certain things out. Sacrifices have to be made, to reach ones goal ... but what is the price to pay?

Hellmant 'THE IMMIGRANT': Three Stars (Out of Five)Critically acclaimed drama flick; directed by James Grey and starring Marion Cotillard, Joaquin Phoenix and Jeremy Renner. Grey also co- wrote the screenplay, with Ric Menello; the same duo also wrote the critically acclaimed 2009 romantic drama film 'TWO LOVERS', which also costarred Phoenix and was directed by Grey (Grey also directed and wrote, or co-wrote, 'WE OWN THE NIGHT' and 'THE YARDS'; which also costarred Phoenix). This film tells the story of a Polish immigrant, in New York in 1921, who's taken advantage of by a businessman; who intimidates her into prostitution. The film appears on many critics' 2014 Top 10 lists. I found it to be way too melodramatic to really enjoy.The story is set in 1921 New York City, where two Polish Catholic women have just arrived; after fleeing a war-torn Poland. Magda Cybulska (Angela Sarafyan) is quarantined at Ellis Island, due to lung disease, and separated from her sister, Ewa (Cotillard). Ewa is almost deported, until she catches the attention of an American businessman, named Bruno Weiss (Phoenix). Bruno bribes an officer into letting her stay and takes her home to his house, in Manhattan. He gets her a job dancing at the Bandits' Roost theater, where he works. He later convinces her to become a prostitute, in order to make enough money to rescue her sister. Ewa falls deeper and deeper into a continuous life of depression, and desperation, until she meets Bruno's cousin, Emil. Emil is a charming and talented magician, that immediately falls for Ewa. He offers her the further assistance she needs, to save her sister.The story is involving and the characters are pretty interesting (the film is also really beautiful to look at). Grey says the film is 80% based on his grandparents' actual experiences, arriving in the US in 1923, and he also says it's his "most personal and autobiographical film to date", because of it. I think that's all really lovely, and inspiring, but the movie is just way too cheesy, and overly dramatic, for me to really like it. The acting is also all really bad and forced; I can't really say I like any of the performances in it. I can kind of see why most of the critics like it, but I don't think it's a very enjoyable or entertaining movie (due to the bad melodrama). I also saw a version of the film that's dubbed in another language though, so that might be part of the reason it seems so cheesy to me.Watch our movie review show 'MOVIE TALK' at: http://youtu.be/WFFIYhYu22M