Films of this ilk can often leaver a viewer cold, it’s award-baiting laid bare, leaving a bad taste that stops you from truly immersing yourself in the story. Minghella’s own “Cold Mountain” is a case in point. But here we have a film that may well have suffered some backlash since it swept the awards due to attempts to mimic its success. Yet, this is a film that remains utterly enthralling throughout. The structure of the story, told in flashbacks, adds an air of mystery as to who exactly the titular patient is and how he became horribly burnt. But it is the performances of Ralph Fiennes and Kristin Scott Thomas that form the centrepiece of a beautifully compelling love affair. They have wonderful natural chemistry together and every scene they share together leaves you wanting more, despite the resolution being known from the beginning. It's a testament to the confidence in these performances that the filmmakers never try to soften the harder edges of Fiennes' character. If the present day plot that the film alternates between can’t quite match this, it is still a nice parallel to events from the past as each character confronts their personal losses and tries to come to terms with them, and both Juliette Binoche and Naveen Andrews are great. Only Dafoe’s character feels a little superfluous to the film, good though he is. The score is achingly romantic and the cinematography is stunning.
I really enjoy watching great directors' first films. You see a lot of what you expect their style to be in that early stage, where it usually isn't super defined yet. This absolutely feels like a Coen brothers film, but it has those rough edges around it that, honestly, kind of enhances it a bit for me. The plot is fairly simple, but the slow scenes are still very entertaining due to great dialogue. My favorite stuff though has to be the finale. Great tension and engaging/realistic outcomes. Check this out for sure if you like the Coens.
A truly amazing show. All the characters, though some might seem hollow, are extremely developed and interesting, the story is intriguing without becoming cliche and the show just keeps changing and evolving. Definitely recommended to everyone.
Simply unbearable. A bad combo of concepts from previous works of fiction. Decades into the future, fighting swats of primal creatures/aliens (go figure that contradiction), using foot soldiers and rudimentary weapons, really? "It's not a souvenir, it's a reminder" - who writes this bull?
Also, the part where Dan Forester meets the female colonel played by Yvonne, that was a cliché of epic proportions.
Main flaw though: too long for a mediocre film.
Started off as a half decent action movie till the truly horrible third act.
Why would the government not help kill them under the ice, they were quick enough to believe 'the future people'? Just so you can have your small group of outcasts save the world? Why go through more than half of the movie to help 'the future people' and then barely use what you fought for, the toxin? Terrible writing.
Excellent movie. Takes place in two rooms, and only 90 minutes long. Jake Gyllenhaal is fantastic.
Throughout the movie your opinion about most main characters will change, and at the end the whole meaning of the movie changes, brilliant movie.
Carbon-copy of the movie sharing the same name, still solid though, great performance by Jake.
Nicola Walker is a brilliant actor, I watch everything she does. This crime drama shows her as a cop. She plays the role with the mixed emotion needed in this part and it awesome. One of her best roles.
One of the best tv shows ever , I just wish it was on more frequently.
Intriguing methods of investigation, I wonder why in UK real life robberies are no longer investigated with similar vigour.
Great show! Really good stories and acting.
The bad thing about this show is that we only get to see it once a year and only 6 episodes :(
Great cop show.. love how it's not just the person who commits the crime and how their life unravels, but we also see family members and other people connected directly and indirectly from the crime and how the fall-out affects them also. It's never obvious WHO actually did the crime until later in the season, so you're always intrigued as to who the criminal actually is - sometimes right up till the last episode. 9/10
UPDATE end of SEASON 5: After the end of Season 4, I thought the series was over, so I was surprised to see Season 5 come out. With the addition of Sinead Keenan to the cast, it felt like they were starting all over again but by the end of the 6th episode the series was showing itself to transcend death. I’m glad it is back. I continue to give the series a 9 (superb) out of 10. [Police Procedural]. The first 4 seasons are available on BritBox and the 5th has already been broadcast in the UK. I imagine it will come to BritBox once the series jumps the pond to North American broadcasters.
(Review after the end of Season/Series 4). Fantastic, if heartbreaking, finale.. Chris Lang, did you have to be so brutal. Straight 10s for the whole series. Truly a jewel in the crown of UK Crime Dramas.
(Review at the end of Season/Series 3) Nicola Walker is a brilliant actor! So it is not surprising that this is an exceptional series. Don't expect a fast paced, shoot 'em up, action car chase police drama. If that is your favourite fare, you probably won't like this drama. But if you like a well crafted story that reels you in until you are sitting at the edge of your seat, with multi-faceted performances from an excellent cast, portraying believable characters living out the consequences of their own choices, you will love this series. At the end of Series 3, I've elevated my rating from a 9 (superb) to a 10 (brilliant) out of 10 and it now is on my Top 40 TV Series list. The finale of this past season felt like a series finale, but the writer (Creator/Executive Producer - Chris Lang) of the show has since teased out that, should the audience wish, there may be a 4th. Already garnering critical success and BAFTA attention, I think the audience is not ready for DCI Cassie Stuart/Nicola Walker or DS Sunil' Khan/Sanjeev Bhaskar to retire. [Police Procedural]
This is like the emotional version of Palm Springs. First half of the movie is just fine, the second half dives into strong emotional themes, and really when I should have bailed.
If you're not into the touchy-feely type of movie, don't waste you're time ... I realize now I should have figured that out from the poster.
Damn it, I always get tricked by pseudo sci-fi films. It's like the third time this year!
Oh hey, it's February the 2nd, let's re-watch this for the umpteenth time. :D
