I don't believe I'm spoiling anything by saying the violence in this film is extremely graphic.
I'm very ambivalent about this film. It is very ambitious, and technically exquisite. The sound and visuals are stunning, and it is a rich dish for the senses. That said, there is a fair amount of extremely graphic violence, which, while I marveled at the technical skill of the filmmakers at creating these images, I found them quite over the top for my tastes. This is an individual taste issue. If you thought "Silence of the Lambs" had too much Hannibal & Clarise and not enough Buffalo Bill, then maybe you would enjoy Red Nights more.
I had no trouble following the plot, but I wonder if another rewrite or two may have smoothed the overall story a bit. In some ways, it seemed like rather disjointed scenes from a bigger story. The end of the film, seemed more like the end of a scene. I didn't get any sense of the story being wrapped up. It could have just as easily continued, yet did not have any kind of dangling end that hinted at a sequel. It just seemed that the filmmakers shot as much of the story as they wanted to and stopped.
Maybe I totally missed the point of the film. I found it a rich audiovisual experience, but never really got wrapped up in the narrative. That said, the cast is superb and completely inhabited their characters.
If you don't have an problem with the graphic violence, you may enjoy the cinematic experience of this film. It's likely you have not seen anything quite like it. But if you're looking for a captivating story line, you may go away somewhat restless.
I notice the film was shot - appropriately enough - with a RED camera. If not for the nature of some of the images, it would make an excellent technical demo.
I'm very ambivalent about this film. It is very ambitious, and technically exquisite. The sound and visuals are stunning, and it is a rich dish for the senses. That said, there is a fair amount of extremely graphic violence, which, while I marveled at the technical skill of the filmmakers at creating these images, I found them quite over the top for my tastes. This is an individual taste issue. If you thought "Silence of the Lambs" had too much Hannibal & Clarise and not enough Buffalo Bill, then maybe you would enjoy Red Nights more.
I had no trouble following the plot, but I wonder if another rewrite or two may have smoothed the overall story a bit. In some ways, it seemed like rather disjointed scenes from a bigger story. The end of the film, seemed more like the end of a scene. I didn't get any sense of the story being wrapped up. It could have just as easily continued, yet did not have any kind of dangling end that hinted at a sequel. It just seemed that the filmmakers shot as much of the story as they wanted to and stopped.
Maybe I totally missed the point of the film. I found it a rich audiovisual experience, but never really got wrapped up in the narrative. That said, the cast is superb and completely inhabited their characters.
If you don't have an problem with the graphic violence, you may enjoy the cinematic experience of this film. It's likely you have not seen anything quite like it. But if you're looking for a captivating story line, you may go away somewhat restless.
I notice the film was shot - appropriately enough - with a RED camera. If not for the nature of some of the images, it would make an excellent technical demo.