ReaderKenka Let's be realistic.

BroadcastChic Excellent, a Must See

TrueHello Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

ChanFamous I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

spencergrande6 Considering this film's rather putrid reputation I was pleasantly surprised with it. Or maybe it's because I haven't seen the original. There's a great cast assembled here - Ewan McGregor is all doe-eyed innocence, Josh Brolin unhinged, Patricia Arquette intense, Nick Nolte wizened and charming, Lauren Graham underutilized, Brad Dourif crazed and underused, and John C. Reilly but before he was famous so he doesn't do much.This is pretty much a shock and awe red herring thriller - with necrophilia and rape and murder of prostitutes. At least Arquette is heavily involved. There's a scene that's either pure genius or tonally mishandled involving the children's song "This Old Man" - it took me so by surprise that it worked for a while, then wore out it's welcome and then became stuck in my head like Stockholm Syndrome. And then in hindsight seemed pretty silly.Somehow, overall, this worked for me.

Leofwine_draca Another American remake of a successful European thriller in the line of THE VANISHING, this is a taught and at times suspenseful serial-killer chiller with an intriguing premise: a series of sickening murders surrounding a new, young security guard working night duty at the local morgue. The movie plays its cards straight away with strong themes of sex, death, necrophilia, and insanity and manages to be fairly graphic in approach without actually showing much.The serial killer trappings are old hat and so is the central premise of "innocent suspect must clear his own name" and, although the film is episodic, it does work at times. The morgue setting is very eerie and makes for some very suspenseful moments which sent a few tingles down my spine. Despite a rather badly-edited and confusing middle, things pick up towards the end of the film. The whole finale is very gripping, slightly clichéd but nonetheless impossible not to get excited about, thanks to some very scary acting on the part of the actor playing the villain. Thanks go in part to director Ole Bornedal, who also directed the original version of the tale so had a fair amount of experience and couldn't go wrong.Ewan McGregor just about es through in the part of a vain, shallow, enjoyment-seeking young man; thankfully he isn't awarded too much screen time all things considered and so doesn't become too grating. I do think McGregor is a good actor when given the right part but his role here just seems to be a victim of miscasting. Patricia Arquette gets to emote for all her worth but never seems to be anything more than mundane, although Josh Brolin is rather good as the obnoxious friend of McGregor's who becomes a suspect in the slayings. Acting awards go to Nick Nolte as the investigating cop; another excellent performance from the veteran actor who doesn't pull any punches. Watch out for Brad Dourif in a stereotyped 'weirdo' role as a doctor addicted to his own medicine cabinet. I haven't seen the original version of this tale as yet but I hear it's far superior, in which case I'm expecting something good because this film largely succeeds more than it fails.

jabrbi Sorry, but this film just doesn't make any sense. There's a serial killer on the loose, killing women and cutting their eyes out. The bodies are taken to the morgue where there's a new night watchman, a man scared of his own shadow. Over the course of the film, the night watchmen is framed to be the serial killer, and then we get the happy ending.So where does it all go wrong? The protagonist, Martin, the night watchman is supposed to be studying law, which presupposes and above-average intelligence and yet Martin acts like a complete moron throughout the film. When he realises he's being framed, he's totally unable to work out who the only possibility is to be the real killer. Sadly, Martin isn't the only idiot in the film. His girlfriend is also a moron, as is the deputy chief detective. Really, where were they all when the brains were being handed out.Then there's the problem that the lead detective IS the serial killer, so he's investigating his own crimes. So why hasn't he been taken off the case for being so incompetent? And, if he's so good at hiding his crimes, why does he suddenly make mistake after mistake.And then there's the incredible coincidences. Martin's friend, an obvious red herring, just happens to sleep with a prostitute who just happens to sleep with the killer, allowing the killer to set up Martin, who just happens to work in the morgue, giving him access to the victims. And the prostitute just happens to be a friend of the last victim, and she just happens to tell Martin and his friend that she has a client who likes her to pretend she's dead and in the morgue. It's just far too contrived.And then there's the miscasting. Patricia Arquette just isn't suitable as Martin's girlfriend, or anybody's girlfriend really; there's nothing attractive about her, her looks, her acting, her intelligence. But that could be the mistake of the writers and costume design. Ewan McGregor is OK as Martin, although his accent drifts around the world. Josh Brolin as Martin's friend is just too weird, and looks too old compared to McGregor. And Nick Nolte, as good as he is, is just too obviously the killer from the first moment he appears on screen. Sure, Nolte is very believable as the killer, but that's the problem, he's too believable.Considering that this is a remake of a film the director made several years before, I can only believe that the studio and/or producers intervened to make a complete dog's breakfast of this film.A missed opportunity.

Boba_Fett1138 Well, lets just start of by saying this movie is no way near as good as the original movie "Nattevagten", of which this movie is a remake but it's still being a pretty good and fun whodunit to have a good time with.Kind of weird to notice how different this movie is in atmosphere and approach, since it actually got directed by the same director who made the original, 3 years prior to this American remake. And it's not just different but also most definitely less effective. There is not as much tension and mystery in this one, also due to some pacing issues (it's too fast paced at times) and a poor buildup to things.And all while this movie in essence is still being just like the original. Not much had been changed in its story really and I was therefore also quite surprised to find out Steven Soderbergh was involved with the writing. Guess it was an easy paycheck for him, since really not all that much had been changed or added to the movie, when compared to the original movie.While the original was being a whole lot of different things, this movie is just being a more simple and more straightforward thriller, or rather said whodunit. So really, don't expect this movie to provide you with any horror but as a mystery/thriller, I can still see this movie entertaining a whole bunch of people out there, of course especially those who aren't familiar with the original movie already.And really, the movie on its own is really being quite good and entertaining for what it is. It really doesn't handle everything well, mainly stuff concerning the earlier mentioned pacing and buildup to things but as a whole it's still being a better movie than just the average genre attempt. There are plenty of thrills and surprises in it, that help to keep you invested in the movie.It also has a cast to die for. Really an all-star cast, of which some actors are better known now days as back then. Ewan McGregor plays the main lead, while the movie further more stars Patricia Arquette, Nick Nolte, a still very young looking Josh Brolin, Brad Dourif and John C. Reilly. Not that this movie features any of their best or most interesting and challenging performances but still, it's always good to see so many talented people together on screen.A definitely good enough movie as a straightforward thriller.7/10 http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/