one of my fav. roben  willims films and great cast
929594
Robin again one of his best loved it so dad the movie very much touches home after he passes away right upon release check it out any Willims fan will like it.. rip Robin we will love u 4 ever
1508820
Fantastic cast.  The black and white cinematography is wonderfully done.  It is enjoyable to watch a classic movie where there is such good character development that proceeds at a less-than-frenetic pace.
563692
This is one of my all time favorite movies, yet I have a hard time defending it now as a serious piece of cinema, and Im not sure why. It gets low ratings on all the major film sites despite tons of great actions scenes, a huge overarching story line, great attention to detail, and a terrific performance by Christian Bale.

The Story: The dictator ruled state of Libria force-feeds its citizens drugs to suppress their emotions, and in fact, feeling emotion is entirely illegal. Punishment is death.

Overactive emotions have been known to cause many of humanitys previous atrocities and wars, so to vanquish emotion is to therefore benefit humankind. There is a method to the madness; this film is set right after world war III, and emotion suppression is modern humanitys solution for preventing world war IV.

Of course there are those that do not see this repression as a benefit and so an underground resistance forms. Although the plot is excellently executed, the dystopian theme comes across as just a little bit too close (for some, not for me) to an exact replica of an Orwellian model. Equilibrium has been accused of being unoriginal, a mere mishmash of well-known various Sci-Fi stories.

I was never bothered by this mishmash. Examining the film shows there are more than enough original features, features that people must be overlooking when judging, because the originality more than counter balances the borrowed material.

The top ranking law enforcement officials are (I think very cleverly) called Clerics. They employ the use a fictitious fighting style called the Gun Kata. The Gun Kata a major part of the film and makes for some amazing scenes. The details about the world are so specific that it really is an amazing accomplishment on writer/director Kurt Whimmers part. Whimmer makes a living mainly as a writer, Equilibrium being one of only two major features hes directed.

As I said earlier, Christian Bale gives a great performance, handling almost all the fight scenes himself, and due to budget constraints, only being allowed a handful of takes to get each set of complex choreography right. Director Whimmer makes excellent use of light and space, pleading his case for humanity's right to feel as light peeks through the drab gray tones of the photography, rarely, but just enough.

Equilibrium is the biggest box office flop of a film I can think of. For how epic it is, the 20 million dollar budget seems miniscule, but  its total to-date gross is $1.2 million, a totally pathetic ratio. Equilibrium appeared around the same time as the Matrix was doing its thing and so Equilibrium got very little press. The two films share a similar vibe and since Equilibrium came out second, it loses points for originality, and even though The Matrix is undoubtedly a great achievement, Christina Bale is hands-down the better lead (I'm not too fond of Keanu Reeves). Just based on that fact alone Equilibrium is worth checking out.

9/10
Get more reviews at getthebonesaw.blogspot.com
2357650
Unlike several of the previous reviews, I liked the film very much for several reasons.  First, it pairs two of the very best and versatile actors in the business, Pacino and DeNiro, along with super supporting actor, Brian Denehy.  Secondly, it deals with a subject that appeals, in fantasy, with emotions shared by a large segment of our society, retribution for heinous crimes but unfulfilled because of the often unfair legal system.  This film harkens back to the popular DEATH WISH series of the '70's and '80's starring the great Charles Bronson in which he, too, became a vigilante due to the dubious legal system.

Sure, there are some weak plot details, but that exists in many of the greatest films of yesterday and today and in the end we rate films for a great number of things not the least of which is great acting which does not dissappoint here.  For the most part, the film leads you in one direction and many surprises occur along the way.  All in all, take it for what it is:  a pairing of three great actors, lots of action, a sympathetic theme and many surprises.  I hope this will not be the last pairing of this dynamic duo.
958841
As a previous reviewer mentioned, this movie repays repeated viewings, which is quite a goal for a three hour film.  When you do, watch for all of the multiple roles that most of the actors play (even Malcolm McDowell plays a different character in the black & white film that runs at the beginning).  One of my favorite aspects of the film is Alan Price's soundtrack.  The songs (which relate very well to the action in the movie) are not only played in a studio by the Alan Price combo throughout the story, the band is actually part of the plot!!  The director's cameo at the end of the film is one of the most clever in the history of cinema.  And I would be very remiss if I did not mention the extremely lovely Helen Mirren in one of her early film roles.  My thirty-plus year-old crush on Ms. Mirren started with this movie.
1980580
I first seen this movie on tv a very long time and i loved it. The main character of the film is easy to love/hate.

Its filmed well and its a extremely entertaining. This is a film that anybody who likes "strange" people should see.

great film
849428
I've seen this film many times, including with my children .  I love it and I love Shirley Temple.  What a remarkable talent at such an early age.  This film was in color and while I don't often agree with the decision to colorize in this case it added to the story.  It touches a lot of emotional issues for Shirley,  Mother deceased, father in the military, leaving India to fight in the Boer War which required Shirley to adjust to  a new environment a boarding school in London with a great reputation but owned by a not-very-sympathetic woman.  Of course Shirley meets all the problems confronting her in the best possible ways and becomes a friend of the other adults in the house, and two others nearby. who are very supportive.  Wonderful Film.
1576496
I spend a good proportion of this film being a little confused - it was fantastic.  In fact so good that I thought the director was the same guy who did 'Vanilla Sky' - both are called Alejandro.  I was surprised by Naomi Watts performance, she managed to accuratly portray the depth her character required.  This is definatly a film to watch twice, the first time just go along for the ride, the second surch for the clues.  I thought it was a great film that was well scripted and filmed, and expertly cut together.
A lot of people do not like the non-linear method of story telling, I adore it as it makes me think and make more of an effort to follow the story, thus I feel more involved - some how closer to what the story is trying to make me feel.  I think in this movie in particular it works well, because it is dealing with the most traumatic event a wife and mother can be asked to deal with - that flashing through the scenes is a little bit like flashing through emotions the way we run things through in our mind.
While definatly not a feel good film, it is a great way to spend a few hours - particularly if you don't mind a film that makes you think.
2998533
This is a wonderful little film.  The Characters are great and the dialogue is even better.  Peter Dinklage is superb as Finn, a person who has to let go of the secure world he tolerates and join a new world with people, he at first, really doesn't much care for.  The supporting cast, that includes Bobby Cannavale and Patricia Clarkson as Joe and Olivia really lift this movie.  The movie is a metaphor for how people move on and how some people can help others move on.  I have one minor complaint, on the DVD you get  to watch some deleted scenes, why some of these scenes were deleted seems to make no sense.  The Stations Agent is a great movie with a good story, buy it.
3618535
A terrific film.  Very sad and romantic.  The acting is superb.  Richard Armitage is an amazing actor.  I watch it again and again
1240067
This is a great film. This is my favorite film of his, it is very well done and the cast is terrific !!! I am so glad it exists with English subtitles, so I am able to share with my friends and family that are English speaking . I wish all his films would have English subtitles. I am looking for "La Debut" or "Nachalo" with English subtitles, but it is not there for some reason.
2288030
This is a beautiful, classic film based on a brilliant novel. I see that most the bad reviews come from people not liking the extras on the DVD set. The few that think this movie is dated must also believe classic literature is dated. I love this film.
944984
I loved this movie. It was refreshing and though low key hit a few high notes in the process. It was well written and the movie flowed well from plot point to plot point. I think my favorite part was the acting and actors. There were a lot of real moments in this movie and moments that draw you through a maze of emotions. I especially loved the ending. I've loved Karen Gillan since I was first introduced to her in doctor who. The other players in this movie were we'll matched... and truthfully probably just as famous in the European scene and I'm just not familiar with them. Either way it was a fantastic movie and I highly recommend it.
1323899
This movie is one of my classic; love the preformance of Barrymore, Widmark and Stockwel.  I find myself crying each time I see this one. Very well done about charector building, love and loyalty.
1877933
I had been intending to see this film for some time because I heard it was good and I am glad I finally got around to it. To review it though is a little more difficult. This movie contains a plot that slowly unfolds, revealing several twists, which I would not want to spoil for the masses. The film opens with Eddie Fleming(Hugo Weaving) sleeping on his couch when all of a sudden some police inspectors break down his door and come charging in. Eddie is so frightened he wets himself. He is then arrested, although the police refuse to tell he what is going on. They take Eddie and a couple bags of his things(that can only be assumed are some sort of evidence) to the station. The inspectors lock Eddie in an interogation room shortly before conducting what they call a "formal interview" with him. This is all I can really say about the story. Almost the entire film is centered around the interview. What I can say, however, is that despite some slow pacing this is a very well made and entertaining movie. The cinematography is very stylized. Monahan uses lots of deep focas, fish eye lens, and Dutch tilts. The lighting in the film is dark with very high contrast. All this helps the audiences sense of confusion as to why Eddie is being detained. The editing conveys the gradual unraveling of the events that have led to Eddie's arrest masterfully.
Also I would like to make a note of the casting. The actors in this movie did a very good job. The two lead characters played by Weaving and Tony Martin(Detective Steele) were very engaging at there sort of cat and mouse game during the interview. But in particular Weaving is great. American audiences know Weaving as Agent Smith from the Matrix, but what they may not know is that he is a fine character actor(see Pracilla Queen of the Desert if you don't believe me).
This film may not be for everyone. Because of it's slow pacing and totally character driven plot I am not sure I would recommend it to people who want to see action. This being said, the director has done a fine job, with a good script, and he keeps the film interesting from start to finish. Anybody who likes films that keep you guessing will get a kick out of this.
1504192
Recently I saw some critic's best-of lists from the Noughties, and I was very surprised that none of them included this work. This is not only one of the best of the last decade, but one of my favorite films of all time. I can literally watch it over and over again and never feel bored by it. Yes, as another reviewer mentioned, it does require some work in that many technical terms are used and never explained, and the level of period detail verges on the neurotic- but this is part of what makes it great.
1880332
I love this film and it was an unexpected surprise.  It's probably one of my favourite films along with Man Up (also a brilliant film in my opinion).  I can happily watch it over again.