Fear X

Albeit it's not a perfect movie, its torturing and thrilling atmosphere is worth sitting through. A mystery movie in every sense.

It's not that this is a particularly bad movie, it's just that there isn't a whole lot of it. I really enjoyed the first hour, but the slooow buildup of tension doesn't really go anywhere and once the credits roll it's soon forgotten. A shame, because this definitely had a nice David Lynch atmosphere going and I was hoping for it to explore some interesting concepts.

While I love the mood the film creates at the end I felt robbed. I felt that there should've been more. While I certainly appreciate open ended movies I thought that this simply didn't give enough for one to even make up their own ending. Sad to have the film leave a disappointing (not bad) taste in the mouth because up to the final 15 minutes or so it's quite, quite good.

I liked the film's constant state of dread, of understatement, of a fear of the unknown and of a truth always just out of reach. If you see it as a meditation, (with a logic of nomadic introspection), there's a lot to appreciate.

I can see where this would turn some people off. I had to read an article after watching it to fully understand everything, and I do actually appreciate some things in this movie. I always liked Refn as a director and this was a small showcase for what he was to become later. It's slow, quiet pacing and visuals make it seem truly haunting and dreadful. The end is a bit of a downer, but I personally liked the movie as a whole. Not for everyone. I still liked it.

I liked this small mystery film a lot. John Turturro is great, the score is great, the whole atmosphere just drew me in.

Underrated.

I can't believe this wasn't made in the 90's.

Between Harry Caul, Fred Madison and Barton Fink, the protagonist searches videotape for facts and theories, as does the audience, unsure on what level to look: conspiratorial, psychological or metaphysical, or some combination of the three. Or are we being taught a frustrating lesson about the elusiveness of understanding? Perhaps there is a little more explanation possible here than the director himself has suggested, but the final scene before the credits seems misjudged and underwhelming.

The plot (from Hubert Selby, no less) is pure gibberish. But taut--indeed, hypnotic--direction and writing. And a wonderful movie to look at. Stupendously lurid interiors and glistening landscapes (the DP is a true genius bro). The look of it reminded me in places of The Shining. Turturro as always is fun--like Buscemi, he somehow combines goofy and menacing. And the music by Eno is also cool.

A modernist piece about a man searching for something that may, may not be there. In the end it opts for Lynch weirdness, which sadly only helps to establish the fact, that there's only one Lynch out there. It does have a great atmosphere, and a very mesmerizing beginning.

Atmospheric. The ending, however, lets the movie down and one can't shake the feeling that Refn wanted to be David Lynch. And, obviously, he isn't. Meditation is key, Nicolas.

Refn tries to be David Lynch. And it's a shame that he doesn't seem to realize he is an awesome director in his own right.

okay movie

Slow moving thriller with lots of suspense build up and a let down for an ending. Shot in Toronto.

It smells of Lynch. Then it tries to get under your skin still all Lynch-like and eventually when the itch is there, when Turturro starts to shine in his role of managing the pace and the movie starts going places the efforts stop. Why? Who cares. It felt that characters were to scared to talk some sense to one another and the story did not allow any to be made anyway. For future reference: random scenes, dark colours and the lack of an ending do not create suspense, continuity does.

Not perfect, but underrated Lynch-ian thriller by Refn.

Larry Smith steals the show with the deep blood-red colors of the hotel, but the rest of it isn't so bad either.

saw it superbored with it. maybe a rewatch sometime sine its very soon 10 years since i saw it

65.000

Dear Nicolas Refn! Why the house across the street? !Plot holes all over. A big ones. No no, this kind of Refn I do not like.

Boring affair with ambiguous ending.

"Nicolas Winding Refn evokes grief as a Lynchian put-on." - Ed Gonzalez

(rwtch) A clearly important film in Refn's filmography and an obvious stylistic precursor to Valhalla Rising and Only God Forgives. Filmed very well-those dreamlike elevator scenes were top-notch, and the blood montage was visually and sonically arresting. The soundtrack is brilliant, and the use of I guess you would call them "sound effects" is quite horrifying. But, this kind of left me a bit unsatisfied, it is a good film but doesn't satisfy a certain hunger when it comes to paranoia films.

Refn's first real attempt at the vaguely Lynch/Kubrick-style atmospherics that would come to define his later, more "mature" work. Unfortunately he really, really hadn't figured out how to pull it off properly yet at this stage.

Nice atmosphere, but the last third of the film doesn't go anywhere. Harry's journey doesn't amount to much. Like a bad ending to a ok beginning, it just lays there wallowing in its own mess.