Good concept, poorly executed.

Fresh and Exciting

It's an amazing and heartbreaking story.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

This is a European movie about European medieval times and it shows - no "cinderallisation" a la Hollywood, very reduced dialogue and a people's behavior and code of honor that sometimes feels very strange to us.What's left to say: great production, great cinematography, great acting. Sometimes the dark and melancholic tone of Michael Kohlhaas reminds me of Ingmar Bergman's great classic The Seventh Seal (1957).For sure, no movie for action-addicts, but like La reine Margot (1994) a great celebration on European history and culture.

like a clock. precision, strange beauty, delicate mechanism. the acting, the landscape, the script. as pillars of an admirable work who remains the novel by Kleist but it has the gift to be more than an inspired adaptation. a film about justice and sin. and a splendid role for Mads Mikkelsen who gives to his character not only the traits of the novel but something special, powerful, entire convincing. the grace to use the nuances of Michael Kohlhaas, the wise manner to use the silences, the force of gestures, the beautiful measure who discover the essence of tragedy, the presence of Roxane Duran who reminds, in same measure, Elisabeth I and the young Elisabeth II, the performance of Melusine Mayance, the speech of Denis Levant who remains the perfect definition of the root of tragedy are the details who transforms an adaptation in useful support for reflection about great themes.

I concur with many of you that this movie was way to long, slow and anticlimactic. Pictorially it was beautiful but there was so much lost potential with this film that was left omitted.It contained lots of chatter and religious doctrine about turning your cheek, etc from a church at that time was about as ruthless as royalty in feudal times. It started out with great expectation but ended with sad disappointment. I had thoroughly enjoyed Mads Mikkelsen in the Pusher, and his role as Michael Kohlhaas was great. In the end the director needed to tighten the film belt by a few notches to have made this movie a good movie.

An uprising with out a clear idea of the bad guy....No action, the story you must figure out (umm I watch a movie to be told a story not so I can guess what the hell I just spent 90 mins. watching), and SO few details.BUT it did have great acting - just the edit and directing was... for art school - not to escape and provide enjoyment to the viewer.With better direction it could have been a Braveheart or even better due to the acting.In fact.... just watch Braveheart and even if you have seen it - you will still feel better for the time spent then watching this film.