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Babel

Babel

2006
Drama
Suspense/Thriller
2h 23m
In the remote sands of the Moroccan desert, a rifle shot rings out -- detonating a chain of events that will link an American tourist couple's frantic struggle to survive, two Moroccan boys involved in an accidental crime, a nanny illegally crossing into Mexico with two American children and a Japanese teen rebel whose father is sought by the police in Tokyo. (Paramount Vantage)
Your probable score
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Babel

2006
Drama
Suspense/Thriller
2h 23m
Your probable score
Avg Percentile 54.57% from 8638 total ratings

Ratings & Reviews

(8638)
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Rated 07 Mar 2007
75
59th
Solid work from Inarritu, who has an undeniable visual grace. The film is often powerful, though it occasionally feels contrived and one storyline in particular, though excellent in and of itself, doesn't seem to fit well with the other stories which closely overlap. Still there are a lot of really great things about it, especially the acting.
Rated 05 Mar 2010
40
26th
Four equally dull and barely intertwined stories from around the globe, none of which are interesting enough for you to care about the outcome of. Includes the worse elements of both Syriana (chopping up the narrative structure purely to mask the tediousness of each of its parts) and 2004's Crash (incredibly insulting "Look - different races and nationalities are not all that different!" message). Nice cinematography though.
Rated 01 Apr 2007
5
3rd
Absolutely horrible movie that tried to hard to be like Crash and failed miserably. The plots were disjointed and didn't matter. It was also extremely unbelievable from start to finish.
Rated 07 Mar 2007
64
44th
While I concur poor communication creates problems and that seemingly unrelated events can be related, this film, like 21 Grams but not quite the same harsh degree (but pretty close), is just excessive in it's depressiveness to the point that one can't take the movie seriously. All the acting, however, is surperb so it's still worth seeing.
Rated 03 Mar 2007
72
41st
Better than I expected, but short of greatness nonetheless. Inarritu seems stuck in a rut with his interconnected stories gimmick, he's in danger of pigeonholed as a one-trick pony. Babel's themes are worn quite plainly on its sleeve, not as bad as, say, Crash, but still rather obvious. Very fine acting all around, though I wanted more Bernal, who brings excellence to everything he does. The Japanese story was the most intriguing.
Rated 16 Dec 2008
91
94th
Rated 16 Mar 2020
8
78th
(after repeat viewings) The best compliment I can give this film is that it has hardly aged a day. While some visuals are distinctive of the time the movie was shot in, its themes of loss, pain and anguish that characterize our human interconnectedness still hold up incredibly well today. Couple of parts feel a tad overbearing and sensational at times, but not enough to spoil what's a deeply compelling viewing experience. Gustavo Santaolalla's music has the power to cure your soul.
Rated 09 Oct 2009
75
77th
Not the best story out there may be but there were many moving scenes that touched me. Nice soundtrack as well.
Rated 03 Mar 2007
82
84th
I was dumbstruck with awe after seeing this and knowing almost nothing about it. A lot of people argue the ending (this movie has one of the most moving ending shots you can see) and that the movie did not have a point. Although I think it does touch on points (true compassion and the relevance of language barriers), a movie does not always have to mean something to be wonderful to watch. The acting, score, and directing are all executed with care and ambition, and I really did like Babel.
Rated 19 Aug 2010
35
6th
I fucking hate this movie.
Rated 30 Mar 2008
55
39th
The Japanese plot was the only halfway interesting one. The pacing was terrible. While I applaud the film for trying to convey an admirable message, it lays it on way too thick and the political subtext gets old pretty fast.
Rated 04 Mar 2007
78
59th
Rather disapointing, especially with all the talent involved. Inarritu is a very good director and I loved both his previous movies (21 Grams and Amores Perros), and it comes out in the movie. But unfortunately the story is very weak. The movie is supposed to be about how lack of communication causes bad things, but what we see is that stupidity causes bad things. This also causes the movie to seem manipulative. But visually the movie is amazing, and the acting is top notch.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
1
5th
Don't you get it? It's DEEP and MEANINGFUL, because lots of people speak lots of different LANGUAGES.
Rated 03 Dec 2008
80
72nd
Think you wanna feel a bit worse than you already do? Just watch this film and realize just how bad some people have it. This whole thing is one continuous feel-bad moment. Sheesh.
Rated 13 Sep 2009
4
22nd
Another Sinker for the Oscars to jump on. A rock solid piece of shit. No characters development, no hook for the audience, no likable or interesting characters. Cliche and boring situations just heaped on like so much spaghetti at my grandma's house.
Rated 26 Dec 2007
20
10th
In spite of a strong visual sense and some interesting scenes, the film ultimately reduces itself to an incredibly weak story of tenuous connections and flimsy attempts at linking stories together. Ultimately, one finds that the movie says almost nothing and the little it manages to say is muddled up with fluff.
Rated 01 Jul 2007
55
20th
60 points of this goes to the Japanese thread. The rest is trash. Just think about it: The story with the nanny begins as Brad Pitt calls her from the hospital, where his wife is safe. We're asked to believe that after an international incident, no one in the family, no neighbors or friends, want to check in or look after the kids while Blanchett recovers? Screw that.
Rated 06 Jan 2009
61
31st
Why is it that most ensemble cast films include racist characters, and why must at least one person go into histrionics during the running time? It's really starting to annoy me. Many of the characters being stupid doesn't help. The Japanese plot is the best (even though it oversimplifies things; i.e. the girl would have felt the bass at the rave). Oscar bait that leads to a disappointing viewing experience.
Rated 17 Dec 2008
85
85th
I was very impressed by the actors, but more importantly with how the story managed to connect everything in such a neat way.
Rated 14 Jul 2008
30
14th
Gar-bahj! Babel was awful and the mainstream crowd ate it up believing it had depth that was really just a smoke and mirrors act that comes with every ensemble piece.
Rated 06 May 2008
85
85th
Crash comparisons are inevitable on structure alone, but this sprawling tale is less concerned with the prejudice of culture clashes as it is with the dangers of miscommunication and the borders that separate us as people. It's probably the most well-connected of these type of films -- it's far more linear than Syriana and rings far truer than Crash's contrived coincidences. Yes, it has a plot, and yes, it's tied together well, but this is a THEME movie, and must be viewed as such. Great acting.
Rated 23 May 2007
90
95th
All the stories were felt genuine and realistic though the Japanese story is by far my favourite. This movie would be even better without the connections, no need for it here.
Rated 26 Feb 2010
3
32nd
I'm really, really tired of Inarritu's gimmicky movies and his silly theme of how we're all so connected to one another. He never manages to make it believable and it always comes across as contrived and ridiculous. The writing is, as usual, fucking awful.
Rated 19 Nov 2008
3
61st
Iñárritu with another well-crafted, empathy-building melodrama. I found the story of the deaf Japanese girl to be the most compelling, even though it wasn't woven into the rest of the film very well. Almost all of my points go to that story alone. The others I could take or leave.
Rated 27 Jun 2008
40
35th
amores perros is still the best of the trilogy
Rated 12 Dec 2006
60
32nd
Really didn't like this movie. However, of all the stupidity of the character, the Japanese side of the story really stood out as a diffrent and fulfilling movie altogether. Cheiko's story of isolation, alone, gives this movie a mild recommendation.
Rated 10 Jan 2010
60
63rd
Feels Crash-like because it's so contrived in how it unfolds and how heavy-handed the message is. Babel's kind of saved by having far better actors and fantastic cinematography - the Japanese club scene especially.
Rated 17 Oct 2011
70
48th
It was pretty good. Nowhere near as good as Amores Perros. The grand scale that was attempted with the different stories was a double edged sword. While it very clearly showed an interconnectedness in the world, it lost some of the depth and feeling that I was hoping for. The variance made it difficult for me to really get into the depth of any character. I was also less than enthralled with Cate Blanchett, but thats just me.
Rated 28 Oct 2008
95
98th
If you've seen Adriana Barraza in this but you keep lamenting about emotional manipulation and humanist naiveté or similar incoherent drivel like this then you either have no fucking heart or no mother. You're a robot or some plant-alien.
Rated 31 Dec 2007
77
53rd
Like others I was a bit confused by the weak links between these stories, but on their own they work really well, especially the story in Tokyo. If Inarritu had just left them alone and not attempted to connect them as he has in his other films it could have been a lot less distracting. An absolutely beautiful looking film, a wonderful score, just not the best story.
Rated 26 Feb 2007
64
42nd
I liked it in parts, but the link between the stories was weak (almost like an afterthought) and I didn't feel any of the stories deserved to be explored as much as they were. I felt that the "lack of communication" angle was underdeveloped. I agree with another reviewer: the movie explored stupidity as a catalyst for bad things moreso than language barriers.
Rated 06 Feb 2016
87
79th
I needed certain maturity to understand the children and time to grow up a tiny creature called cynicism or in other words loss of belief to really get into the movie. I will watch this movie if I want to be moved. Moved to yesterday when all my troubles seemed so far away.
Rated 19 Mar 2007
85
73rd
Babel is a great mix of stories that combine together. Though only two of the three main stories actually relate together strongly, they are all intense and engaging in their own ways. Babel is worth seeing and was one of the year's best.
Rated 23 Jul 2009
50
20th
A collection of short films with nonexistent cohesion.
Rated 04 Feb 2012
71
46th
I don't usually like interconnected story movies, and they tend to be overrated. I didn't think this one was bad, but it wasn't really great either. The Japanese story was the most interesting one, but it seemed really disconnected from the rest of the film. In fact all the stories seemed kind of disconnected from one another. Maybe because they took place over the whole world. At least it was better then Crash.
Rated 03 Apr 2007
90
86th
Multiple slices of life. People criticize the plot, but it's more a mood piece than anything; another document of the pain of the world by Inarritu, and a very good one
Rated 28 Jul 2010
65
42nd
were all conected u kno.... rly makes u think
Rated 22 Jun 2020
69
58th
It certainly has some emotional resonance, with strong acting and direction. But there's something about this mix of plot threads that felt like they didn't add up as well as some other of these kinds of movies (including Amores Perros).
Rated 19 Apr 2009
9
4th
So unbelievably boring.
Rated 19 Jul 2010
83
88th
I didn't mind the fact that it's not really profound or that Iñarritu uses the same interconnecting storytelling once more. The film overall felt pretty grounded and subdued, even painfully uncomforable at times. The score and slow takes had a hypnotising effect that made every stupid/bad decision made by the characters even more painful. While its main goal seems to be to make the viewer feel shitty for 2 hours, I was ok with that.
Rated 15 Jan 2008
50
29th
The whole "if you want to be heard, listen" morale would make more sense in film dominated by ignorant people but, mostly, the characters simply make poor decisions. If this left me with one message, it must be that the sky's also the limit for pretensions.
Rated 24 Feb 2007
95
95th
flyinn cinebonus - ikinci gösterim
Rated 28 Mar 2008
90
96th
A beautiful ballad of human existence, filled with an incredible optimism. Yet this Rousseau-like obsession with our humanity seems completely appropriate. There are no eye-rolling happy endings here. It's on the same level as Requiem for a Dream, but without the hopelessness. An amazing picture, through and through.
Rated 21 Feb 2011
80
90th
A beautifully honest piece about the power of randomness and relations. Acting and directing are mostly excellent, and Santaollala's score is yet again haunting to the last note.
Rated 12 Jan 2019
70
42nd
Iñárritu's film is well-acted and really well-made, but he seems to be gesturing at something with the film's title and the interconnectedness of these stories, but what it is, I don't really see. Yes, these stories are all connected, but that doesn't really reveal a deeper truth ... they are connected really because he says so. He wrote them that way, and really ... the connections are arbitrary.
Rated 24 Dec 2014
80
79th
wonderful sound tracks
Rated 02 Apr 2008
78
52nd
Critics panned this flick. I found it intriguing but a little slow paced.
Rated 19 Mar 2011
78
34th
though this one is the most recognized by the academy, to me, it's not inarritu's best.
Rated 15 Apr 2016
80
78th
The pace of this movie is the awesomest of all. The buildup of different stories is great and leaves you double-guessing which bad decision that characters make (and, boy, don't they like making bad decisions) will have the biggest impact. It wouldn't be Inarritu's movie if he wouldn't interconnect the stories, with or without any plausible reason to do so, you have to excuse him for that. If you can't - just admire the topic of miscommunication, desparate and blunt, just as it should be.
Rated 16 Sep 2007
55
30th
I could have done without half of these characters.
Rated 08 Oct 2007
70
61st
Babel has good and strong scenes, however the rhythm is tiring.
Rated 16 Aug 2009
74
90th
Iñárritu doesn't quite sustain the intended atmosphere, but it's consistently engaging. The micro-macro allusions of relationships were subtle enough not to overbear each section's central drama. Overall, it's a quality, thoughtful, and pertinent yet perennial multicultural film.
Rated 18 May 2007
90
66th
Pretty good. Very much a performance-driven movie.
Rated 27 Nov 2008
60
34th
Compelling but one would wish the Japanese story was the main focus. The rest though are decent, but not much more then that.
Rated 18 May 2011
69
39th
In Babel, there are no villains, only victims of fate and circumstance. Director Alejandro Gonzalez Iñarritu weaves four of their woeful stories into this mature and multidimensional film.
Rated 02 Jul 2009
82
75th
Touching and filled with excellent performances, but a little over-extended at times.
Rated 03 May 2022
75
79th
On rewatch this movie remains well made and hits the right spot on many occasions, but i'm a little skeptical about the underlying message, and ultimately i think it's overreaching a bit thematically since the whole plot is driven by people doing very stupid and very preventable things, and has little to do with not speaking the same language as the title and its biblical references try to convince us of.
Rated 07 Feb 2008
55
42nd
I was only interested by the Japanese parts of this movie, to be honest. Everything else felt contrived.
Rated 19 Dec 2008
55
27th
Technically it's well made but you sit through the entire film wondering what the point is.
Rated 15 Apr 2008
60
49th
I didn't hate it, but that's about the best review I can give it.
Rated 10 May 2009
80
57th
As an exploration of characters this film is not big on storyline. The focus here is the characters and how they perceive and misunderstand each other. Feels a little slow. The acting and visuals are done well. Some will love it for it's message, others will get bored halfway though.
Rated 05 Apr 2017
4
86th
Depressing in a human way.
Rated 20 Mar 2009
80
94th
2.
Rated 29 Aug 2007
91
75th
A fairly gripping tale of the problems that communication (or the lack of it) between people, nations, and culture can have.
Rated 03 Jan 2007
80
75th
An estranged couple on a trip through Morocco, goat herder Hassan and his two sons Yussef and Ahmed, Amelia, the nanny of Richard's and Susan's kids in San Diego, the deaf-mute teenage girl Chieko in Tokyo - all their lifes are connected in a tale of disconnection.
Rated 02 Sep 2007
60
32nd
Crash made again
Rated 18 May 2007
90
86th
I already enjoy this director from earlier works and still enjoy his style of camera work and editing. Between the acting and storytelling, it is easily one of the best movies of the year.
Rated 04 Jul 2011
75
35th
This is probably an 80 (decent) from me, but it didn't deserve that rating because it got it through boring montage and songs.
Rated 31 Oct 2009
80
70th
Muy BUena
Rated 21 Feb 2007
72
64th
A good film, though occasionally strained stilted, with the best performances coming from the more unknowns.
Rated 09 Jun 2009
73
72nd
For me, it's just the Japanese part that truly works.
Rated 01 Oct 2010
88
63rd
great
Rated 11 Nov 2007
95
90th
Inarritu does an excellent job of showing how people can cause chaos and harm when they do things they know aren't the best choice or they simply don't listen to one another enough. Adriana Barraza deserved the Oscar and Rinko Kikuchi was amazing. Oh, and Cate Blanchett is always beautiful.
Rated 25 Dec 2013
69
42nd
In Babel, there are no villains, only victims of fate and circumstance. Director Alejandro Gonzalez Iñarritu weaves four of their woeful stories into this mature and multidimensional film.
Rated 24 Jun 2017
95
86th
It's amazing how, far away lives might be tangled
Rated 30 Oct 2007
90
51st
Good one.
Rated 10 Sep 2009
90
72nd
An engaging drama about several different lives in different parts of the world.
Rated 23 Mar 2008
66
34th
Amazing performance from Adrianna Barazza, otherwise it's a mess.
Rated 31 May 2008
75
48th
Not as good as I wanted it to be, not as good as it could have been. It is nice to see Brad Pitt do something other than mug with George Clooney, though; I had almost forgotten he could act.
Rated 26 Apr 2017
50
4th
Viewed April 24, 2017.
Rated 06 Jan 2008
70
37th
Babel is good, but not outstanding. The drama sub-genre of "Human life is all connected and cyclical" movies like Babel, Crash, and 21 Grams often play on stressing out the viewer, but Babel fails to be unpredictable or impressively interwoven enough to make it seem like the stress is warranted. Instead, the viewer may feel used or tricked, and no one likes to be tricked. Great acting and a great score save this moving from being more than a little contrived and preachy. Meh!
Rated 25 Sep 2010
69
73rd
Japanese story for the win. The acting is pretty good throughout all the segments.
Rated 09 Jan 2013
85
89th
I found this very moving. Probably wouldn't watch it again in a hurry, but its effectiveness cannot be denied.
Rated 08 Apr 2007
30
24th
The world is in chaos. People can't communicate. One woman gets shot. She later pees, wounded, in her husband's embrace. Roll credits.
Rated 25 Feb 2007
35
7th
Grossly overrated mishmash of a film. Padded in unconvincing "artsy" ways. Too bad, because two of the plot lines could have provided the core for a much shorter, better movie. Terrible editing.
Rated 18 Aug 2010
99
94th
Amazing movie!
Rated 04 Dec 2008
85
99th
Fantastisk film, historien fænger, man er betragter, man er med, man føler og oplever - en bemærkelsesværdig film.
Rated 13 Jul 2014
98
0th
This film explored the rift between people that would otherwise be friendly and helpful, caused by xenophobia and fear. People override their nice nature due to political forces beyond their control.
Rated 09 Apr 2018
25
10th
ASK ME WHAT IT MEANS
Rated 27 Jul 2008
68
33rd
I couldn't get into this as much as I wanted to. That's not to say this movie is without merits, because it does have some good aspects to it but not enough to make it anything more than almost good.
Rated 06 Mar 2007
96
54th
For separate stories escalating from one terrible incident involving 2 young boys, a rifle, and a tour bus.
Rated 18 Mar 2007
88
74th
Not as good as Amores Perros, but a great effort nonetheless.
Rated 12 Nov 2014
56
18th
Way too pretentious and torturously contrived but does contain some fine work here and there.
Rated 25 Feb 2007
80
45th
loved it! Esp Adriana Barraza was amazing, however I think that Pitt and Cate were only there for marketing purposes.
Rated 01 Aug 2009
60
17th
Leaned on its score too much.
Rated 24 Feb 2007
45
29th
Inarritu needs to make a screwball comedy.
Rated 18 Aug 2008
67
52nd
Very weird and strange to follow at some times. I liked it, but then again, at some moments I was thinking '... Yeah.. Well.. No.'
Rated 13 Nov 2007
85
26th
Brilliant, exciting, riveting, suspenseful and unsettling an unbelievable journey into the lives of many racially divided individuals.
Rated 15 Aug 2010
64
84th
#00s(m)#, reviews, story, (casting)
Rated 02 Dec 2011
50
6th
I sleept during this movie.

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