Cosmopolis
- Year:2012
- Rating:MA
- Director:David Cronenberg
- Cast:Mathieu Amalric, Jay Baruchel, Juliette Binoche, Paul Giamatti, Samantha Morton, Robert Pattinson
- Release Date:August 02, 2012
- Distributor:Icon
- Running time:109 minutes
- Film Worth:$11.50
- FILMINK rates movies out of $20 - the score indicates the amount we believe a ticket to the movie to be worth
David Cronenberg throws up a mediocre effort, which contains moments of intrigue, but is unaided by Robert Pattinson's bland performance.
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Eric Packer (Robert Pattinson) is a jaded billionaire. He spends his days moving from a customised limousine, to one of two private elevators, to his apartment, and back again. His world is one of information trading, stock markets, and disconnected encounters. Some of them are business, some pleasure - all of them are utterly devoid of emotion or substance. Especially the sexual ones.
The premise of Cosmopolis is rife with intrigue and potential. Nutty Canadian, David Cronenberg, seemed like an inspired choice to take on this adaptation of Don DeLillo's book. Unfortunately, the result is so cold and talky that it's hard to engage with anyone or anything that happens. There's nothing wrong with having a lead character who is a reprehensible human being. American Psycho takes that premise and turns it into art. But Pattinson's Packer is like human tofu: he absorbs the flavour of those around him, but offers nothing of his own personality. That's fine when Pattinson is acting opposite Juliette Binoche or Paul Giamatti, but when the focus is on his character's own vapid turmoil, the proceedings grind to a halt.
David Cronenberg is a wonderful director who has made a wide variety of brilliant and twisted films. From the body horror of Videodrome and Scanners, to the science-run-amok visions in The Fly and The Brood, the book adaptations of Naked Lunch and Crash, and right up to his recent forays into dark crime with A History Of Violence and Eastern Promises, he is a director who wants to push boundaries and explore new things. Sadly, this is the first Cronenberg film that seems to be exploring "mediocrity." Cosmopolis isn't a bad film, but it's relentlessly average. Its episodic structure is uneven, and while there are moments of intrigue, it mostly feels like a long and rather pointless journey.
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