Why Mel Gibson trashed this film in the press, I don't know. Perhaps it's because he isn't the star, and he has few chances to grandstand. In any case, MDH has gotten an unfair tag as a boring film, an "odd little film", something not worth seeing. After finally getting to see the film after anticipating its release for over a year (since it never came to my town), I can finally say that this film was worth the wait.
Davies and Jovovich give good performances, and even Gibson is sympathetic despite early shades of "the bad guy". Jimmy Smits proves that his range extends beyond the type of roles he's usually given. Bud Cort appears in a small role, one of his more high-profile performances in recent years.
The excellent soundtrack (available in the US for months) includes music by U2, frequent collaborators Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois, and some vocals by Jovovich. Wenders has become almost as well known for his excellent attention to the way music and film can work together as he is for his filmmaking talent.
My only complaints: it's sometimes hard to hear what characters are saying (one scene involves Davies and Jovovich speaking with their hands on each other's mouths, making important dialogue difficult to understand), and it would have been nice to give more of a back story on these two characters.
This film is mystery, romance, comedy, and sci-fi rolled into one, with splashes of surrealism. First-time screenwriter Bono and co-writer Nicholas Klein have created a script filled with subtleties, surely resulting in the kind of movie that will improve with repeated viewings. 8/10
Davies and Jovovich give good performances, and even Gibson is sympathetic despite early shades of "the bad guy". Jimmy Smits proves that his range extends beyond the type of roles he's usually given. Bud Cort appears in a small role, one of his more high-profile performances in recent years.
The excellent soundtrack (available in the US for months) includes music by U2, frequent collaborators Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois, and some vocals by Jovovich. Wenders has become almost as well known for his excellent attention to the way music and film can work together as he is for his filmmaking talent.
My only complaints: it's sometimes hard to hear what characters are saying (one scene involves Davies and Jovovich speaking with their hands on each other's mouths, making important dialogue difficult to understand), and it would have been nice to give more of a back story on these two characters.
This film is mystery, romance, comedy, and sci-fi rolled into one, with splashes of surrealism. First-time screenwriter Bono and co-writer Nicholas Klein have created a script filled with subtleties, surely resulting in the kind of movie that will improve with repeated viewings. 8/10