Do not let the trailers fool you, there is about 10mins total of action in this film. The bulk of this film is long shots of Clooney, coming to grasp with his life and going about completing his last job.
The landscapes are breathtaking. The action is sparse with more of a dread sense than any real kind of action. But then again, this film presents the life of an assassin more the way it probably is. Not a lot of flash, just a lot of looking over your shoulder, day to day mundane mixed in with an occasional beat of action.
Clooney is fantastic here. Gone is the swagger and charm of characters he has played in the past. He shows here why he is today one of our best actors. The rest of the cast is relative unknown Italian actors. All wonderfully cast and wonderfully subtle yet dis-alarmingly complex. Violante Placido is wonderful as Clooney's love interest "Carla". Paolo Bonacelli as Father Benedetto gives the film its polar opposite to Clooney and Bonacelli is wonderfully reserved yet bold in his performance.
The film is not one for everyone, it is, as I titled this review, a slow burn. The opening scene sets things up with you really not too sure just what is going on and in the end, you are still not quite sure what the final outcome is. Make no mistake, this is a film that must be digested slowly with no expectation of explosions and gun play galore.
For those who are fans of Clooney or director Anton Corbijn, a must see. The casual viewer will probably want to wait. This is a high art film that will probably not be to the taste of the casual cinema goer. But if you appreciate technique, then perhaps this film may be to your liking.
The landscapes are breathtaking. The action is sparse with more of a dread sense than any real kind of action. But then again, this film presents the life of an assassin more the way it probably is. Not a lot of flash, just a lot of looking over your shoulder, day to day mundane mixed in with an occasional beat of action.
Clooney is fantastic here. Gone is the swagger and charm of characters he has played in the past. He shows here why he is today one of our best actors. The rest of the cast is relative unknown Italian actors. All wonderfully cast and wonderfully subtle yet dis-alarmingly complex. Violante Placido is wonderful as Clooney's love interest "Carla". Paolo Bonacelli as Father Benedetto gives the film its polar opposite to Clooney and Bonacelli is wonderfully reserved yet bold in his performance.
The film is not one for everyone, it is, as I titled this review, a slow burn. The opening scene sets things up with you really not too sure just what is going on and in the end, you are still not quite sure what the final outcome is. Make no mistake, this is a film that must be digested slowly with no expectation of explosions and gun play galore.
For those who are fans of Clooney or director Anton Corbijn, a must see. The casual viewer will probably want to wait. This is a high art film that will probably not be to the taste of the casual cinema goer. But if you appreciate technique, then perhaps this film may be to your liking.