Greetings again from the darkness. The best dramatic writers thrive on creating a story filled with intricacies, multi-faceted characters, mis-direction, and a complex interweaving of sub-plots. Cormac McCarthy has proved he is one of the best such writers through his highly successful novels ... some of which have made the transition to the screen: All the Pretty Horses, The Road, and of course, No Country for Old Men. This, however, is his first attempt at an original screenplay. Describing it as a disappointment is a severe understatement.
The cool parts of this movie: Bruno Ganz as a diamond dealer in Amsterdam and the two live cheetahs.
The parts of the film that could have been interesting: the wardrobes of all main characters, Javier Bardem's Brian Grazer-inspired hairdo, the line-up of luxury vehicles (Bentley, Ferrari, etc), and the "bolito".
The parts of this movie that were never going to work: the opening scene with Michael Fassbender and Penelope Cruz frolicking under the sheets, dialogue that is too poetic for the characters, Brad Pitt as his grown up scammer from Thelma and Louise, Fassbender's Texas accent, and Cameron Diaz.
The part of this movie that is an outright disgrace: Cameron Diaz doing the splits while having intimate relations with the windshield of Bardem's Ferrari ... maybe this idea came from Joe Eszterhas after being rejected as too outlandish for Showgirls.
Chances are viewers will fall into two camps: thinking this is a wild and crazy ride inside the Mexican drug cartel, OR believing this is one of 2013's sloppiest, messiest, most pointless and confusing wastes of time in a movie theater. I am solidly in group two and can't even recommend you see this to determine where you fall.
The cast is filled with A-listers: Javier Bardem, Brad Pitt, Michael Fassbender, Penelope Cruz, and Cameron Diaz. The writer is a renowned novelist. The director is three time Oscar nominee Ridley Scott. How could it miss? Even the best actors can be miscast. Even the best writers have work best left unpublished. Even the best directors lose control of a project.
I guess the best running joke throughout the movie is that Fassbender's titular character is constantly receiving counseling, rather than offering it. At its core, the story is just another drug deal gone bad (do any movie drug deals ever go "right"?). With it's unusual visuals, unrealistic conversations, and convoluted sub-plots, this one would have played better as a slideshow. Instead, I am left with this: I'll never look at a smudge on my windshield the same again.
The cool parts of this movie: Bruno Ganz as a diamond dealer in Amsterdam and the two live cheetahs.
The parts of the film that could have been interesting: the wardrobes of all main characters, Javier Bardem's Brian Grazer-inspired hairdo, the line-up of luxury vehicles (Bentley, Ferrari, etc), and the "bolito".
The parts of this movie that were never going to work: the opening scene with Michael Fassbender and Penelope Cruz frolicking under the sheets, dialogue that is too poetic for the characters, Brad Pitt as his grown up scammer from Thelma and Louise, Fassbender's Texas accent, and Cameron Diaz.
The part of this movie that is an outright disgrace: Cameron Diaz doing the splits while having intimate relations with the windshield of Bardem's Ferrari ... maybe this idea came from Joe Eszterhas after being rejected as too outlandish for Showgirls.
Chances are viewers will fall into two camps: thinking this is a wild and crazy ride inside the Mexican drug cartel, OR believing this is one of 2013's sloppiest, messiest, most pointless and confusing wastes of time in a movie theater. I am solidly in group two and can't even recommend you see this to determine where you fall.
The cast is filled with A-listers: Javier Bardem, Brad Pitt, Michael Fassbender, Penelope Cruz, and Cameron Diaz. The writer is a renowned novelist. The director is three time Oscar nominee Ridley Scott. How could it miss? Even the best actors can be miscast. Even the best writers have work best left unpublished. Even the best directors lose control of a project.
I guess the best running joke throughout the movie is that Fassbender's titular character is constantly receiving counseling, rather than offering it. At its core, the story is just another drug deal gone bad (do any movie drug deals ever go "right"?). With it's unusual visuals, unrealistic conversations, and convoluted sub-plots, this one would have played better as a slideshow. Instead, I am left with this: I'll never look at a smudge on my windshield the same again.