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)
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Babel
2006
Drama, Suspense/Thriller
2h 23m
Your probable score
Avg Percentile 54.57% from 8636 total ratings
Ratings & Reviews
(8636)
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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 07 Mar 2007
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 05 Mar 2010
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 07 Mar 2007
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 01 Apr 2007
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 03 Mar 2007
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 09 Oct 2009
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 04 Mar 2007
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 03 Mar 2007
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 03 Dec 2008
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 13 Sep 2009
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 14 Aug 2007
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 30 Mar 2008
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 16 Mar 2020
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 14 Jul 2008
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 23 May 2007
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 19 Nov 2008
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 06 May 2008
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 06 Jan 2009
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 01 Jul 2007
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 26 Feb 2010
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 17 Dec 2008
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 26 Dec 2007
Rated 08 Oct 2007
70
61st
Babel has good and strong scenes, however the rhythm is tiring.
Rated 08 Oct 2007
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 06 Feb 2016
Rated 27 Jun 2008
40
35th
amores perros is still the best of the trilogy
Rated 27 Jun 2008
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 19 Mar 2007
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 10 Jan 2010
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 21 Feb 2011
Rated 28 Jul 2010
65
42nd
were all conected u kno.... rly makes u think
Rated 28 Jul 2010
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 19 Jul 2010
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 17 Oct 2011
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 16 Aug 2009
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 15 Jan 2008
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 26 Feb 2007
Rated 23 Jul 2009
50
20th
A collection of short films with nonexistent cohesion.
Rated 23 Jul 2009
Rated 24 Feb 2007
95
95th
flyinn cinebonus - ikinci gösterim
Rated 24 Feb 2007
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 19 Mar 2011
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 15 Apr 2016
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 03 Apr 2007
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 12 Dec 2006
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 31 Dec 2007
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 28 Mar 2008
Rated 16 Sep 2007
55
30th
I could have done without half of these characters.
Rated 16 Sep 2007
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 28 Oct 2008
Rated 02 Apr 2008
78
52nd
Critics panned this flick. I found it intriguing but a little slow paced.
Rated 02 Apr 2008
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 04 Feb 2012
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 12 Jan 2019
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 22 Jun 2020
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 03 Jan 2007
Rated 15 Aug 2010
64
84th
#00s(m)#, reviews, story, (casting)
Rated 15 Aug 2010
Rated 24 Nov 2009
80
77th
Brad Pitt cannot make a bad movie. I liked the converging plot lines, and the film does give you a lot to think about as it ends.
Rated 24 Nov 2009
Rated 05 Oct 2008
86
88th
One can see how, Inarritu has learned from his previous movies, because what seems to lack the first one, the fateful connection of several events, is here even more apparent. It may be depressing, but it's really cleverly done.
Rated 05 Oct 2008
Rated 23 Mar 2008
66
34th
Amazing performance from Adrianna Barazza, otherwise it's a mess.
Rated 23 Mar 2008
Rated 22 Feb 2010
34
3rd
Grief is an epidemic in Inarritu's utterly stupid universe. A woman shoots herself in the head, and halfway across the globe, a baby dies in its crib. The grief from these incidents spreads like wildfire, causing chain-reactions and multiple Oscar nominations. It's just a wallow is misery though, and sloppily put together at that. The editing, in particular, is contrived and cutesy.
Rated 22 Feb 2010
Rated 01 Jul 2016
77
51st
dark, depressive, exciting but hard to draw messages
Rated 01 Jul 2016
Rated 31 Dec 2008
80
79th
A good character piece, but the time line is kind of confusing and the Japanese story seems completely unnecessary. Still, it's better than Crash...
Rated 31 Dec 2008
Rated 08 Jan 2008
80
0th
I don't know but this movie is somewhat at the back of my mind, I guess it's because of the huge expanse the movie covers as far as the setting is concerned, from Mexico to Morocco to Japan. But it's not just that, the connection between these places fits well into the story line, so nothing so implausible, good movie. I would recommend it.
Rated 08 Jan 2008
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 18 May 2007
Rated 25 Sep 2010
69
73rd
Japanese story for the win. The acting is pretty good throughout all the segments.
Rated 25 Sep 2010
Rated 01 Jan 2011
96
98th
Babel is a provocative film that unapologetically poses several blunt questions to us. Perfectly titled and composed, this is a film about the inability to communicate. There are many barriers to negotiate for one random human to understand another; culture, race, family, law, indifference and finally, our own filters, the senses. What is beyond their removal, is for you to speculate. Should they even disappear? Shall we continue separated culturally whilst globalism trundles on? fuck 500 chars.
Rated 01 Jan 2011
Rated 11 Dec 2011
100
0th
Incredibly thought-provoking and photographically poetic. The soundtrack is absolutely beautiful. My favorite movie.
Rated 11 Dec 2011
Rated 28 Jul 2013
60
31st
Uuuugghhhh. Wants to be worthy, is smug. Want's to be clever, is trite and obvious. Oh lookie lookie what we thought up! Aren't we clever!? Meh.
Rated 28 Jul 2013
Rated 27 Jul 2008
35
11th
Not a fan. Looked like it was going to be really good, never hit it for me from start to finish.
Rated 27 Jul 2008
Rated 05 Dec 2006
30
1st
Oh ghod, what a waste of talent. So...handicap teenaged girls are sexed crazed. This movie totally left me screaming in tongues.
Rated 05 Dec 2006
Rated 19 Aug 2007
65
68th
It want's to be Crash so bad, it's practically screaming "oscar, oscar, here oscar".
Rated 19 Aug 2007
Rated 13 Jan 2015
75
53rd
Visually stirring and humbling, this film shows deep misfortune through one incidental occurrence, and the helpless injustice of circumstance and consequences, and how we all too often look at situations through the lens of objective judgment.
Rated 13 Jan 2015
Rated 18 Jan 2009
60
14th
Another one where I did not see what all the fuse was about. It was OK but not much more than that.
Rated 18 Jan 2009
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 03 May 2022
Rated 30 Oct 2007
90
51st
Good one.
Rated 30 Oct 2007
Rated 14 Aug 2007
94
93rd
This movie took me on a ride through my own world, shocked and thrilled me at every turn, and made me empathize with characters that were worlds away from me. In the end, I'm not sure how this film made me feel, but I do know that this film did it well. Offers incredibly humane insight on the world today, and a must-see for virtually everyone living in it.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
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 27 Nov 2008
Rated 25 Feb 2007
79
39th
Interesting connectivity between the stories and a beautifully made film. There are quite a few scenes that could have used some trimming, but overall it was good. Not fantastic, but its message is important enough and told well enough to garner some praise. Brad Pitt was good, but he wasn't Oscar-worthy. The score, on the other hand, was amazing. Santaolalla outdoes his impacting work on Brokeback Mountain.
Rated 25 Feb 2007
Rated 01 Apr 2009
70
58th
A painfully realistic film. It has a few very slow moments but the plot is very good and written in proportion to the people featured in it. They all have their own speed and way of dealing with stuff
Rated 01 Apr 2009
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 11 Nov 2007
Rated 21 Mar 2011
85
73rd
A movie about how, all over the world, we are connected. In the worst possible way.
Rated 21 Mar 2011
Rated 25 Jan 2007
98
90th
Visually sublime, perfectly acted and enviable as a piece of work
Rated 25 Jan 2007
Rated 17 Jan 2010
50
16th
Crash?
Rated 17 Jan 2010
Rated 21 Nov 2011
70
54th
Bears a striking resemblance to Crash, and hits a lot of the same notes. Cultural ignorance, racism, lots of stories linked together by one event, etc. It just seemed less plausible to me at times. The biggest example being the man whose wife has a bullet wound, and other people urge him to leave her behind, basically because they're bored of waiting for her to recover. To me, a moment like that is more ridiculous than it is shocking or dramatic.
Rated 21 Nov 2011
Rated 14 Jun 2007
85
73rd
It was good at telling each story individually, but one should watch this without knowing anything about it to get the full effect.
Rated 14 Jun 2007
Rated 05 Aug 2008
95
75th
The only part I didn't like was the scene with all the strobe lights because it hurt my head. Great music.
Rated 05 Aug 2008
Rated 14 Aug 2007
60
27th
It's hard to make a persuasive analysis of the human condition when you limit your characters to just one.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
Rated 22 Oct 2007
65
17th
Not as good as I expected. The most compelling of the three stories was probably that of the asian girl. I did like how all 3 stories were interconnected.
Rated 22 Oct 2007
Rated 11 Nov 2009
20
44th
Communication problems the world over. The three storylines are fashionably "interlocked" (anyone who can recognize the voice of Pitt over the telephone will immediately know the connection between two of them), and the film strategically ends in the same place, from a different point of view, as it begins, coming full circle. The illusion of complexity, for all that, could scarcely be more transparent.
Rated 11 Nov 2009
Rated 21 Nov 2009
80
80th
Comprised of four intertwining stories, one is brilliant (deaf girl), two are good and one is simply ridiculous (Nanny in the desert). Greatest moment is the wounded American being flown back to civilization, with sand being blown into the eyes of the locals, as the rescue-chopper takes off.
Rated 21 Nov 2009
Rated 25 Oct 2010
75
71st
Depressing and frustrating to watch, but very powerful also.
Rated 25 Oct 2010
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 09 Jan 2013
Rated 28 Jun 2014
80
53rd
I'm not sure it is as deep as it wants to be but the exploration of coincidence and misunderstanding is still thought provoking.
Rated 28 Jun 2014
Rated 26 Mar 2009
83
33rd
nothing confusing about the message, we're all connected. Recommended.
Rated 26 Mar 2009
Rated 14 Feb 2007
78
70th
No holes, beautifully shot and a good feel, but too much of a 'Crash' rip-off.
Rated 14 Feb 2007
Rated 24 Apr 2008
68
80th
Good story, great acting, and good production but a terribly slow pace. After watching this I was left with the thought that I've learned/lived lifes' lessons enough that I no longer need or want to be reminded of them in a way that's not very entertaining.
Rated 24 Apr 2008
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