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| COSMOPOLIS (director/writer: David Cronenberg;
screenwriter: based on the novel by Don DeLillo; cinematographer: Peter
Suschitzky; editor: Ronald Sanders;
music: Howard Shore; cast: Robert
Pattinson (Eric Packer), Juliette Binoche (Didi
Fancher), Sarah Gadon (Elise Schifrin), Mathieu
Amalric (Andre Petrescu), Jay Baruchel (Shiner), Kevin
Durand (Torval), K’Naan (Brutha Fez), Emily Hampshire
(Jane Melman), Samantha Morton (Vija Kinsky), Paul
Giamatti (Richard Sheets/Benno Levin), George
Touliatos (Anthony), Bob Bainborough (Dr. Ingram);
Runtime: 108; MPAA Rating: R; producers: Paulo
Branco/Martin Katz; Entertainment One; 2012) "Its major problem is that it's not cinematic." Reviewed by Dennis Schwartz David Cronenberg
("eXistenZ"/"Spider"/"Crash")
directs and writes this futuristic challenging,
paranoid, claustrophobic, psychological mind-bender
about the ills of capitalism. It's based on
Don DeLillo’s not too well received 2003 novel. The
chatty, doleful and provocative film
unfolds over a single day in Manhattan. Its major
problem is that it's not cinematic, but more a film
about ideas. In
the near future, Eric Packer (Robert
Pattinson) sits atop the world at 28 as
an unfeeling financial whiz-kid billionaire asset
manager, who from his luxury stretch limo aims to go
crosstown in Manhattan to get a haircut from his
late father's old barber (George
Touliatos) but finds even his well-equipped
chauffeur-driven limo can't block out the world and
his ride becomes a dangerous one because of the
hellish condition his ruthless capitalism has
created for the world. There is one incident after
another that includes a riot from the 99
percent Occupy Wall Street crowd, and also
includes a wide assortment of visitors to his
limo who offer their life philosophy, sex and
eccentric views of modern life. The most unsettling
visit is from a doctor (Bob
Bainborough) giving prostrate exams in the limo. The
reptilian-like Erik has put all his fund assets
against the Chinese Yuan, and is losing big time as
he's more tuned into his wager than the world around
him. Torval
(Kevin Durand) is Eric's head of security, Shiner (Jay
Baruchel) is the geek chief of staff, Jane
Melman (Emily Hampshire) is his money
adviser, his mistress is Didi
Fancher (Juliette
Binoche), Elise (Sarah
Gadon) is his frigid wife, Vija
Kinsky (Samantha
Morton) is a
vice president of “theory,” Andre
(Mathieu
Amalric) is a
pie-throwing terrorist and Paul
Giamatti plays a revengeful disgruntled
former employee. It's
an intellectual trip lacking
drama or much intellect, but
is on target about depicting
world events as sinister and
if you don't mind the bumpy
ride or that it's best viewed
as a time-capsule film
covering today's economic
meltdown and a close-up look
at the sad inhuman belief many
erroneously hold onto that the
soulless corporations are
people. REVIEWED ON 9/22/2012 GRADE: B Dennis Schwartz: "Ozus' World Movie Reviews" © ALL RIGHTS RESERVED DENNIS SCHWARTZ |