Register  |  Sign In
View unanswered posts | View active topics It is currently Thu Oct 31, 2024 7:56 pm



Reply to topic  [ 5 posts ] 
 You Were Never Really Here 

Rate this film:
A 50%  50%  [ 2 ]
B 50%  50%  [ 2 ]
C 0%  0%  [ 0 ]
D 0%  0%  [ 0 ]
F 0%  0%  [ 0 ]
Total votes : 4

 You Were Never Really Here 
Author Message
Keeping it Light
User avatar

Joined: Wed Apr 08, 2015 8:06 am
Posts: 11363
Location: Bright Falls
Post You Were Never Really Here
Image

Quote:
You Were Never Really Here is a 2017 thriller film written and directed by Lynne Ramsay, based on the book of the same name by Jonathan Ames. The film stars Joaquin Phoenix, Ekaterina Samsonov, Alex Manette, John Doman, and Judith Roberts.

An unfinished version of the film premiered at the 70th Cannes Film Festival in competition, where Lynne Ramsay won the Best Screenplay award and Joaquin Phoenix won for Best Actor.


Sun Apr 08, 2018 10:52 am
Profile
Forum General

Joined: Wed Oct 28, 2009 9:48 pm
Posts: 8942
Location: Houston, Texas
Post Re: You Were Never Really Here
Solid flick, but it didn't really impress me. Phoenix is fantastic and there are some striking visuals, but as I was watching this all I could think of was that Drive did it a lot better. At least I was able to connect somewhat with Ryan Goslings character in that movie, and as brutal as the violence is in this movie it just wasn't as impactful IMO.

B


Mon Apr 09, 2018 9:25 pm
Profile
now we know
User avatar

Joined: Tue Oct 19, 2004 9:31 pm
Posts: 67688
Post 
You Were Never Really Here

Not quite the masterpiece I had hoped, but still an effective and powerful and poignant thriller. It suffers from a bit of what Only God Forgives suffered from; an over-confident director that strips bare-bone style so as to solely speak to the viscera. I still enjoyed it for its masterful and unwavering dedication to the style of direction, but I am disappointed I'm not instead comparing it to Drive.

B+


Sat Apr 14, 2018 12:25 pm
Profile WWW
Pure Phase
User avatar

Joined: Tue Feb 15, 2005 7:33 am
Posts: 34865
Location: Maryland
Post Re: You Were Never Really Here
This is an audio and visual masterpiece. Strictly considered in terms of character and plot, it might not sound particularly special: the "sympathetic" brutal hit man (who specializes in rescuing victimized girls) is a bit of a hoary trope reminiscent of, say, Ben Affleck's nice bank robber and nice gangster in The Town and Live by Night, respectively, and the exact nature of the political corruption at play is rather unclear, perhaps in an example of storytelling ambivalence disguised by an aura of art-house chic.

But, damn, the presentation, from the anxious and hypnotic score by Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood to the fluidly beautiful cinematography, is spectacular, and there is not a single extraneous moment during the film's entire hour-and-a-half length. From first frame to last, it perfectly uses the medium of cinema to submerge us in the damaged head space of the antihero (played with clenched intensity by Joaquin Phoenix), and the result is a unique and vivid suspense-movie experience.

_________________
ImageImageImage

1. The Lost City of Z - 2. A Cure for Wellness - 3. Phantom Thread - 4. T2 Trainspotting - 5. Detroit - 6. Good Time - 7. The Beguiled - 8. The Florida Project - 9. Logan and 10. Molly's Game


Wed Jul 18, 2018 12:06 am
Profile
Indiana Jones IV

Joined: Mon Oct 25, 2004 12:09 pm
Posts: 1851
Post Re: You Were Never Really Here
I was very, very impressed by this movie (honestly sometimes I feel like saying "ditto" to David's reviews... this is one of those times). The direction is outstanding. All the cinematic elements align to give the audience something wholly unique. The score and editing are awesome. I love that the movie doesn't "hit us over the head" (with a hammer) with the intricacies of Joe's backstory, instead allowing a number of visceral flashbacks to give texture and depth to his current situation. A number of sequences had me feeling a host of physical reactions: claustrophobia, nausea, a kind of panicky overwhelm; other times a thrill in my beating chest. Sorrow, disgust, and hope for redemption (or revenge).

This kind of story---violent crime---is not usually something that shows up in my 'favorites.' But the skill and uniqueness that the director used to tell this story elevates it to one of the year's best. (also I'm extraordinarily grateful this wasn't bloated to a two-hour run-time.... it is lean and precise and exactly what it needs to be). I don't get the comparisons to the movie Drive, which I experienced as pure style and violence for the sake of.... style and violence. This had much greater depth and meaning for me.

A

_________________
how am I not myself?


Thu Jan 03, 2019 7:16 pm
Profile
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Reply to topic   [ 5 posts ] 

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 48 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot post attachments in this forum

Search for:
Jump to:  
cron
Powered by phpBB © 2000, 2002, 2005, 2007 phpBB Group.
Designed by STSoftware for PTF.