Anamorph

source: Anamorph

This movie is about serial killer who makes an artwork of his victims. It sounds great but it isn't exactly a movie which could be compared with Se7en or Silence of the lambs. It's well filmed, the acting was great and the plot seemed to be interesting but something was missing. It was sometimes boring. I'm a big psycho killer thriller fan but what is the most interesting in these kind of films to me is killers psychological portrait and the reasons why he is doing it(if he kills only for art there must be something wrong with him and I would like to know what). Anyway there were few original deaths(unfortunately process itself wasn't shown) and there were many famous actors but most of them appeared only for few minutes or less. So if you like psycho killer thrillers you should watch this one and maybe you'l like it.

A well put together entry in the serial killer genre that unfortunately gets mired down in its own pretentiousness to be really satisfying. Willem Dafoe is superb as a NYC detective trying to track down what appears to be a copycat using the same Renaissance art-related killing techniques used in a series of murders he solved years earlier. Scott Speedman is Dafoe's junior partner and they have pretty good chemistry (at least for a while). Other characters pop up to conveniently tie the two cases together. Clea Duval is the friend of an earlier victim and Peter Stormare is some sort of art broker/mentor to Dafoe...that's a bit hard to take, although Stormare is, of course, never dull. The film's ending is particularly disappointing. Look fast for Deborah Harry as Dafoe's less than forthcoming neighbor.

Well, i did see the trailer for this film quite a while ago and i thought, wow this looks good. Only recently did i watch the film and I wish i didn't. The story of the film is basically that a detective (dafoe) re-opens a series of murder cases by a well known killer he was investigating. The story is mainly focused on Dafoe with minor characters such as his prostitute friend (Duvall) and his detective partner (speedman). I thought this film had loads of potential but it fell short because it lacked a few things. 1) the character development- although they established a few elements to Dafoes character, I thought they should have gone further to develop his character. Speedman and Duvalls characters have the typical stereotypes associated with any rookie detective and prostitute friend. I didn't feel that these characters had anything interesting to add to the film and were there really to just infill any film clichés the director wanted to add. I must say that the idea is very original and the victim scenes were interesting to watch but I was not at all satisfied with the ending as it was more of an anticlimax more than anything and the killer said 3 lines in the whole film.

Very entertaining "psychological puzzle thriller" without any violent action scenes but with graphic crime scenes. The pace of the movie is slow at first but begins to pick up midway through. The scenes in general are dark and gloomy, which more or less sets the tone for Defoe's character. The title is based on the word "anamorphosis" which is a form of painting and plays into the artistic killings. Willem Defoe is a low key alcoholic, teaching NYPD detective who, after almost five years, is still haunted by the personal ghosts of his last "big" case. Around this same time, high profile killings start to occur. The m.o. (method of operation) of the recent killings lead the police to suspect a serial killer is on the loose. Furthermore, the intricacies and "artistry" of the crime scenes are such that the department decides to bring in Defoe as consulting/lead detective with his partner (Speedman) into the investigation. What ensues is a bit of a cat and mouse game, with the audience slowly learning more about Defoe's past case and the strange similarities to the current one. Defoe, not the actual plot, is the primary reason I decided to check out this movie. I was not sure what to expect and I admit that I was a bit confused about Defoe's character throughout the better part of the movie and impatient to find out more about his past and exactly how it tied into the present. The crime scenes are morbidly beautiful and I was awed by the sheer imagination of them as well. This movie really concentrates on the "artistic motivation" of serial killers and as such I found it quite intriguing. The puzzle aspects of the movie are reminiscent of "The Bone Collector" but I found "Anamorph" to be a bit headier - similar to "Se7en" but not as straightforward. 7/10. Worth checking out but probably not watching more than once other than to try to discover the anamorphic properties of the crime scenes. The stills of the crime scenes from this movie would make a great art book.

Some films are intentionally ambiguous leaving the final interpretation up to the viewer while others simply fail to tell a cohesive story causing the viewer to invent all kinds of theories about what the film was trying to say. Anamorph falls into the latter category. This is one of those films where the death/crime scene is a work of morbid art, in the tradition of Se7en and Silence of the Lambs. The film looks good with its fiery cinematography. It's paced well and Willem Dafoe turns in a smoldering performance as the aging cop we're never clear on just how torn apart are his insides. And that's where this film fails. It's never clear about much of anything and tries to justify itself via the concept of the anamorph whose rendering "Depends on where you stand." Flashbacks and reflective turmoil are used to try and fill in the blanks as to why Dafoe's character is so intimately connected to the crimes. The film's denouement gives us a silly special effect suggesting multiple personalities may be involved. But 'maybe this' and 'maybe that' aren't good enough and I'm confident that at film's end you will scratch your head and say "Whaaaa"? It's also disappointing that, surprisingly, we weren't treated to any really good anamorph illusions. Given the title of the film, I'm just saying ....

William and the good screenplay are the real good things in this movie,but this movie was something new and strong,against it's box office page does not shows it's quality. I have not seen a movie ending like this in years,this was enough creative,and just leaves wondering the viewer. The story is not too difficult,and in this film this will really help the viewer,average users can follow what happening,also the acting is takes the attention,as it's really important for me. While this movie will not loved by all of the audience,this was a very personal story,as mostly successful films today,but with a clever message this time. Anamorph is very fresh and honest piece of USA film-making today,and I honestly hope movies like this will be profitable movies in the future,and all around the world. The usual basic situation when a cop wants to catch a serial killer,was not ever as creative as this time,cause the viewer gets answer in a very strange way,but it was not truly surreal,I mean the situation turns to something deeper,and more interesting. I do not want to tell you more about the story ,cause it will destroy your joy to watching this film Give this film a chance,only cause this film is something fresh all the way,and cause this is really a personal story. 8/10-I do not give 10-points,but I'am still really recommend this movie for everybody who want to wonder,also for those do not understand for first time.

There is a magical formula for any movie star who wants to know if he has achieved the epitome of his craft. The actor must be able to play the hero and the Villain with equal believability. In this dark edition to his long repertoire of great roles, William Dafoe plays Detective Stan Aubray in a film entitled " Anamorph. " Aubray is a dedicated, guilt ridden, alcoholic who plies his trade with single-minded precision. Years ago he believed he solved a complex series of gruesome murders attributed to ' Uncle Eddie, ' a notorious murderer. However the fact it may have cost the life of an undercover cop, haunts his daily life. Indeed, when a new set of killings makes it's way back into the headlines, Aubray is assigned to the case by Chief Lew Brainard (James Rebhorn) who also assigns Michael C (Don Harvey) as his new partner. Together, they are faced with a number of crime scenes which baffle the entire department and holds the city in fear. Scott Speedman plays Carl Uffner an artist and helpful aid who tries to help his friend understand the complexity of the bizarre art crimes. It is not often a dramatic and dark film can create such intensity for an audience, but this movie is one which for all intents and purposes will definitely become a milestone for Defoe. A sound artistic thriller destined to scare the courageous into being afraid of the dark. Well made! ****

First of all, lets assume that this is a thriller-crime movie and thus is to be interpreted in the context of Silence of the Lamb and other serial killer movies. Thats all right, I like the genre. What this genre needs is I think: 1) a psychological thread; a detective with psych issues, love, faith e.g. and these issues tend towards some sort of solution or elaboration 2) an intellectual thread; a complex, mind-stimulating, yet not too far- fetching murder case. 3) good realization; atmosphere that presents us the above two as (at least spiritually) real. This film accomplishes these tasks: 1) An obsessive+compulsive detective with affection problems, buried past etc. And there is "character development", I like the atypical disintegrating end which is barely relieved by the end title music. 2)An artist-killer is not a never-heard-of idea, but anamorphosis is good idea. I liked the way the murder cases interconnect. I liked the way this all leads to the past. I liked, that some characters say 'forget about the past' some say 'go back! its the same'. 3)atmosphere is good, music good, murder scenes especially good. Why did I gave it a 6? It is not original. Especially as for atmosphere creating, directing and filming. It is absolutely filled with clichés. There are original things are the character of the detective and the final...but maybe thats all... I still would say it is worth watching it, but it is just an other serial killer movie.

A detective (Willem Dafoe) is on the hunt for a killer who transforms his victims into works of art. The cases grow more and more brutal, and some suspect the detective himself may somehow be involved (though, from the audience's point of view, this involvement is not apparent). Who is the killer, can he be caught? I had low expectations for this film. Dafoe is an amazing actor, and has appeared in some great films (and some not-so-great but still popular ones). Typically, he wouldn't be in a film unless it was going to be huge. This being a straight-to-DVD title, I had to wonder... could it be good if they felt that Dafoe wasn't enough to carry it to the big screen? And the answer is simply: it's good, but not that good. Dafoe is a great actor, and Peter Stormare ("Prison Break") is a good character actor (playing, as usual, a thuggish type here). But they are put in a plot that doesn't really have much depth. The writer was concerned about getting us from corpse to corpse, but that was about the extent of it. The directing, likewise, is good, but will do little to further a career -- a year from now, I'll be the only person to recall this film. The special effects were good and deserve credit. While not the most realistic corpses ever, there was plenty of time and thought involved... so cheers to you. The one thing that stood out for me as quite good was the musical score. I have to say the composer hit the right nerves. I may already be mentally unbalanced -- this is true -- but the music hit me hard and gripped me, leaving me feeling dread and despair, which music will not often do. If the composer's goal was to create a mood of hopelessness and bleak darkness, I call this a success. A philosophical question could be raised about whether the acts committed here were murder, art or both. Some might suggest that the death of one person may be a worthy sacrifice if the art produced is of significant value. If death can be used to justify some things, why not art? The film doesn't really explore this theme, and I'm inclined to believe that murder is hardly, if ever, justifiable. But a potential discussion exists here. If you want to see a film about murder being turned into art, see the 1959 Roger Corman film "A Bucket of Blood". Or don't. But "Anamorph" will end up being an impulse rental that ultimately lets you down, I fear. 2008 is a slow year for horror and thrillers, so you may end up resorting to lesser fare to feed the addiction. Just be warned in advance that this is simply that and nothing more.