Really Surprised!

Fantastic!

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

Why is the intro/begging scene never resolved? why is that scene even there? why are they on horses playing pool in a bar? why does the animal doctor kiss a random little kid and show his baby to kids when he visits the school? Why would the kids give a crap about him or his baby whom they've never met before? the kids in the school seemed as confused as me and my family watching this movie. why is the story told out of order? Whats the deal with the fat french man interested in buying the photographer's studio.. who btw was turned down, why is he all the suddenly on the boat? yes he expressed interest in migrating to the wild west as well but, why is introduced in such a manor? why does the animal doctor not realize something is wrong when the dog is barking like crazy and the house is trashed? why does it take him so long to realize something is wrong ONLY when he finds his wife's dead body? is he extra stupid? why was he such a selfish ass hole to his wife when she was still alive? maybe this movies is an arts fartsy piece of crap. why do movies try to make the audience interpret things. it can be interpreted a million ways. it's like charging 100 dollars to see painting i've never seen before then handing me the paint brush and blank canvas. I want to be entertained not be an art major.why is this movie all out of order and not making much sense?

Interesting to read some other reviews here talk of how art plays a role in this film, and how that's a bad or somehow less appealing thing. Maybe it's the genre they see as this not working well. For some, a simpler film may be best. But this film integrates a variety of story lines and looks to take the viewer on a forward and backward ride forcing you to think about what you missed and what is yet to come. With that, it's too complicated, too artsy if you will, for a dumbed down less sophisticated American movie audience. Sad that some miss this, but see the film for yourself and appreciate film making for the art IT IS!!! American film audiences have a lot of work to do! Otherwise, I love the film for the French language and story line in Paris because I love French, France, and Paris!

I saw this movie when I was in the army back in the 1970s. Along with Murder on the Orient Express and Cactus Flower, this is the only other movie I ever walked out of the theater on. My wife came with me to see the movie for something to do. She agreed that it sucked and that we should leave the theater, to do more important things, such as watch the linoleum curl on the kitchen floor. Hey, at least that had some suspense in it. Do yourself a favor, and rent Road Trip or Harold and Kumar instead, they were funny and entertaining, this was artsy stupid crap. Since I have nothing else to say and there is a ten line minimum, I just want to say that this thing stunk.

I am studying sound design and this movie blew me away. Watched it late night only because of the excellent James C. The most striking thing is when ever there is a violent scene, the director choose to fade out and loose all natural sound and simply play a simple but striking piece of piano. It distances you from the horror of the violence, it seemed to me to be as if I was being sheltered from the full effect. Powerful and poetic this was a revisionist western way ahead of its peers and only to be matched by Clint Eastwood's High plains drifter and Beguiled.