A very disappointing film. Turturro is one of my favourite actors and he tries very hard to do something with his character, unfortunately he fails. Binoche as a spy for me did not work, looking good is not enough. The two 'Children' for sure acted like children but more like 8 or 9 year old then mid twenties, that is until they had to bring in the expected sex scene. But the real downer of this film is the story and the lack of credibility. Of course the biggest boob of many was Binoche secretly in Venice, knowing that Elliot's life and maybe all their lives are in the balance if the hit-man finds out where they are, rings up someone and asks them to feed her tortoise and then tells them that they are in Venice. The two girls playing with their guns all the time was just ludicrous and why a girl looking after a gaggle of geese in an obscure little town in France walks around with a revolver hidden in her belt, beggars belief. Forget the ten minute brushing teeth conversation, forget the threesome pillow fight, forget poor old Elliot getting shot through the window and everyone else still walking around past the window (as though knowing only Elliot is going to get shot) forget all these silly moments and what we have left is a pretty boring film. The cameraman tried to enjoy himself by blurring the screen to show that Binoche had to wear spectacles to see beyond a few inches, once or even twice would have been allowable, but it was so often that it became obnoxious. A couple of views of Venice were nice, I was wishing I was there and not wasting my time watching this movie......... and if anyone can believe that the CIA knew 9/11 was going to happen..... well it figures!

This movie was anything but understated, I found some of the nuances to be intriguing while others were over done. I always harp on lack of character development and this film is not spared the rod. I felt some of the actions of the characters in the film were unearned, we hadn't met that side of the character when these events came about. Other than that, I found it to be an awesome movie to talk about or watch at the beginning of a movie night with friends. On it's own this movie would be a 5 or six but the underlying themes are very well stated when seen from a Canadian's point of view but also as a neutral bystander to the real events in question during the movie. I watched this movie a while back and was surprised to see it's low rating. I know that it's a middle aged movie but I thought I would fill out a review to show some love. I watched this movie back when my town still had a movie rental place that didn't cost 20$ Per late day (seriously). To watch it again legally would cost 1 million dollars (the cost of twenty dollar a day late fees times every movie I ever rented times ADD)therefore I couldn't watch it again while being a peace loving, law abiding Canadian. After watching it for a second time recently I began to realize why the rating was so low. It's a very mixed movie and complicated movies are often badly received from the "I didn't understand the movie the very first time I thought about it" crowd. On top of that its a french movie, an anti American movie and a movie that addresses freely issues that many hold sacred and untouchable. I say all of that to say this: watch the movie, before a long shift at work or a road trip or some event where you will have the opportunity to chew on it and Watch it as a movie and not as a political statement. That's all I can say about it. Enjoy.

There isn't much new I can add about this film. Take everything negative from the other reviewers and multiply it by ten. Whichever angle I look at it from (script, camera, acting, story, etc.), I can't say anything positive about it. The most incredible thing is that JB took on this role! What was she thinking!? Perhaps a new title "Die ALREADY!" would help. If you like art-house, DON'T watch this movie. If you DON'T like art-house, definitely give it a miss. The Teletubbies have more substance than this fart-house production. You've been warned. Go and have a root-canal procedure instead - it will be a pleasant experience in comparison.

I am an American student studying in France right now, and this is the first foreign film I've seen here. It was a great movie, and was easy to follow for a person with minimal French experience (one of the main characters is American, and whenever the other two main characters are around him they have to speak English, a plus since it helps you catch up on all the french bits you didn't get!). It did have a few artful elements, a few gruesome visuals, but it worked. The use of poetry, silence, out-of-focus visuals, etc. was great, it made the feel of the film better than I had expected. Intreaguing storyline, great characters.All in all, I recommend the film.