• It has some of Schrader’s trademark erotica fetishism, visually he deftly channels Visconti, Ozu, and Antonioni to deliver exhilarating cinematic style
  • If anyone thinks Schrader is merely a screenwriter this is as good a place as any to start to put an end that falsehood—this is actually pretty poorly written- I don’t know if its Ian McEwan’s novel or Harold Pinter’s screenplay to blame, but the intriguing premise, and brilliant visuals, are often let down by the mediocre dialogue
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like Schrader’s Mishima, expressionist colors like this exaggerated blue neon sign and day for night
  • Ornate ceiling opening—stunning, tracking shot looking through interiors and camera gliding through doorways of an opulent residence—a tapestry bounced off a mirror
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Ornate ceiling opening—stunning, tracking shot looking through interiors and camera gliding through doorways of an opulent residence—a tapestry bounced off a mirror
  • Venice- gorgeous establishing shots after the Walken voice-over (which makes a nice bookend). It’s a fascinating role and narrative form as we get the voice-over and then we don’t see Walken again for 20 minutes
  • Walken loves his monologue—and this one has a long one- but again the writing just doesn’t give you anyone to grab onto or admire in it
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use of the archway here- Pawel Pawlikowski would do this decades later in Ida (a film Schrader would greatly admire and inspire him to make First Reformed actually) really strong
  • The crew assembled behind the camera is as good as it gets. Michael Mann’s go-to DP Dante Spinotti, Lynch’s go-to composer– Angelo Badalamenti, Armani does the clothes
The crew assembled behind the camera is as good as it gets. Michael Mann’s go-to DP Dante Spinotti, Lynch’s go-to composer– Angelo Badalamenti, Armani does the clothes
  • Mirren is ok, Miranda Richardson fine, I think Rupert Everett leaves a little to be desired—Walken is great. I don’t know what that accent is, but he’s perfect as a spine-chilling stranger
  • Shot through doorway with Walken in a Death in Venice-like white suite at 17 minutes- this is Ozu—even a teapot in it!
Schrader- an Ozu acolyte in practice– striking interiors
  • 20 minutes a slanted overhead shot through the alley— this is Antonioni’s La Notte—gorgeous shot
20 minutes a slanted overhead shot through the alley— this is Antonioni’s La Notte—gorgeous shot
  • There’s an eerie golden orange lighting at night- really beautiful
There’s an eerie golden orange lighting at night- really beautiful
  • Again in spots the dialogue is just bad and the ciphers (Richardson and Everett’s character, and this is on purpose) have a lack of motivation for going and staying
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the characters are empty vessels on purpose– its in the text here as they peer into a shop window
  • The green hue in the bedroom like Vertigo
  • The one spot of dialogue I absolutely love is at 91 minutes when we finally see the reveal, the collage of pictures in their room and Mirren delivers the perfect “We are on the other side of the mirror”- whoa
  • Gob-smackingly impressive slow-motion reverse crane shot murder- a triumph– at 96 minutes
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Gob-smackingly impressive slow-motion reverse crane shot murder- a triumph– at 96 minutes
  • Shot of 100 minutes through the doors of Walken with police—this is Antonioni again—magnificent
Shot of 100 minutes through the doors of Walken with police—this is Antonioni again—magnificent
  • A Highly Recommend