Ordinary Man (2005) User Reviews

Creative way of solving problems in a 'logical' way

[Frans-v-Dongen · 7/10 · 12 July 2006]

Okay, the beginning is a bit strange. Is it a comic, is it horror... If you don't know anything about this movie (which was in fact the case when I watched it during a sneak preview), you are a bit puzzled. But then slowly the story starts to get its own logic. The attacker, killer of the man and kidnapper of the woman of a couple, is confronted with a lot of problems he has to solve. Since these problems coincide with some "domestical problems" (introduced in an original way), you might even start feeling sorry for him. "Sitting the movie through" is not at all what happened with me. I had some very good laughs when again an unconventional solution was found for a problem you can hardly consider to be of a "daily nature".

The film proves that this friendly country Belgium can produce films which are really worth looking at. Refreshing humor, unconventional plot, absurd logic...

I left the theater with a big, big smile.

Horrid to see through: Can't wait to see the sequel

[sytse · 1/10 · 11 June 2006]

An 'ordinary' man who commits a murder to 'save' a woman; how romantic. The movie starts out as a horror movie with the standard horror elements. Black screen but noises, dark roads, forest setting, unexpected sounds and visuals and other easy scare tactics. Slowly the plot evolves into a guy having troubles at home, recently having even more trouble than before. In the break I almost left the theater, but I reminded myself I should give every movie a chance and sit through to the end to give it a chance, so I stayed. In the second half there's more of a story line and the horror elements are left out, but still at the end there are a lot of actions just not logical for a human being to do. I left the theater tonight without any clue why the filmmaker made this film and have people paying money to see it. If someone can enlighten me, contact me.

This film is pulp and I can't wait to see the sequel.

A great black comedy, in the tradition of Fargo.

[dino_bzt · 10/10 · 27 September 2007]

This movie is one of the best movies I have seen in the past three years or so. It was screened on the Amsterdam fantastic film festival of 2006 where it won the Silver Scream Award (best movie of the festival), an award given by the audience. Ordinary Man is a black comedy, about a man, George, who lives an ordinary life with his wife and daughter, who for unclear reasons kidnaps a woman and keeps her in the trunk of his car. Meanwhile he has trouble at home with his wife who is growing more distant from him every day, and who is having an affair. When also the cops get involved in the search for the disappeared woman, George's problems are only getting bigger.

Ordinary Man is a great movie, in the tradition of Fargo. If you like black humor, this is a must-see. I don't understand why the rating on IMDb is so low. The Audience of the AFFF 2006 rated the movie an average 8,39 still to low in my opinion.

tragic shocker with a weird happy ending

[fam-becker · 10/10 · 24 April 2007]

The winner of the Amsterdam Fantastic Film Festival of 2006 starts of on the highway, with a nervous pursuit of a couple by a man in a Mercedes car. The ending takes place in the snowy valleys of Belgium, and reminded me of Fargo. You'll learn to love this nervous abductor. The surprise ending is fabulous, and even a bit funny. But there are several realistic shocking scenes. The dreary atmosphere of the Wallonian town, where the man runs his little furniture shop, is really convincing brought to the screen. But the best scene is the one where he tries to silence his female victim, by cutting her vocal chords. And because he is not a surgeon, this becomes is a bloody & tragic failure. You will never look at the trunk of a car again without thinking of this movie. Some great acting too in this small shocker. His friend (or isn't he?) the local police officer looks a lot like Bud Spencer, but who trusts a cop who smokes a marijuana cigarette? Not an ordinary movie about a weird man in trouble.