People are voting emotionally.

Good concept, poorly executed.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Argento had seen his better days as a movie director and surely it's not easy to top such masterpieces such as Suspiria and The Inferno.Asia Argento as detective Anna Manni isn't the best casting choice but as an actress she certainly did her best. It's difficult to believe that she really is a police detective at such a young age. It's obvious that a more mature actress should have been cast. Nevertheless that obscurity could have been used to make the film better. Would it be a better film if Anna Manni was just a woman living in her delusions.The film certainly had it's moments but on the other hand it has some annoying flaws such as very bad cgi effects. Why use experimental effects if they look dumb. They should have gone back in time to the 70's or 80's how they made the effects without computers.Ennio Morricone's score is amazing though and certainly does a big favor for the film's atmosphere. To sum it up this film is watchable even for Argento fans but it isn't anything like his films used to be. It's really evident that Italian film industry had been in a recession since the late 80's.

A young policewoman (the erection-inducing Asia Argento) slowly goes insane while tracking down an elusive serial rapist/killer (Thomas Kretschmann) through Italy when she herself becomes a victim of the brutal man's obsession.I think this film can easily be classified as part of Argento's downward spiral (everything after "Sleepless", with the exception of his "Masters of Horror" segments). Sure, we have musical genius Ennio Morricone and the special effects master Sergio Stivaletti... and this is Argento's highest grossing film in his native country. But there are some bad points.First of all, why the terrible computer graphics of swallowing pills? Or the bullet through the cheek? This film takes pride in being the first Italian picture to use computer graphics, but frankly it would be considerably better if these few seconds were cut out.I also fear the film suffers from Americanization -- we see a man wearing a Coors Light hat, and Asia sports a "Moo Orleans" shirt at one point. A film about the power of great art, which has Italy as its backdrop, should not contain a single glimpse of American pop culture. With endless walls of paintings and city skyscapes of timeless architecture, why introduce such banality? Jason Buchanan says the film is "ultimately a victim of its own excess and the director's tendency to overcomplicate a fairly simple storyline." I have no response for the first part. What excess does he mean? That the budget was too big? I am unclear. The second part could be taken as either Argento's strength or weakness. Surely, in a film like this, he could have cut 20 minutes from the script and made it tighter, faster-paced and sold it as a solid thriller. But yet, Argento's background in in the giallo subgenre, where the whole point is to make the simply complicated and create mystery... it is hard to scold the master for using his skills, but Buchanan may be right that this was the wrong film for them.Ultimately, the film is more satisfying than his later work, but pales in comparison to anything he was doing in the 1970s or 1980s. Perhaps Argento's biggest mistake was bringing his daughter into the film -- a decision he has made more than six times now.

Director Dario Argento who also created other classic flicks, Masters of Horror - Pelts 2006, Masters of Horror - Jenifer 2005, Phenomena 1985, Tenebre 1982, Suspira 1977 and The Cat o'Nine Tails 1971 has created another gem in The Stendhal Syndrome.Starring Asia Argento who has also been in other classic flicks, Land of the Dead 2005 and The Church 1989.Also starring Thomas Kretschmann who has also been in other classic flicks, Wanted 2008, Downfall 2004, Immortal (Ad Vitam) 2004, The Pianist 2002, Blade II 2002 and Stalingrad 1993.Also starring Marco Leonardi.I enjoyed the violence.If you enjoyed this as much as I did then check out other classic mental illness flicks, Bad Boy Bubby 1993, Black Swan 2010, Body/Antibody 2007, Boogeyman 2 2007, Bug 2006, Chasing Sleep 2000, House of Usher 1960, Grace 2009, Heart of Midnight 1988, Housebound 2000, Next Door 2005, One Point O 2004, Play Misty for Me 1971, Psycho 1960, Psycho II 1983, Repulsion 1965, Retribution 1987, Single White Female 1992, Sisters 1973, Sweetie 1989, Taxi Driver 1976, Excision 2012, The Babadook 2014, Danika 2006, Starry Eyes 2014, Crave 2012 and The Ugly 1997.

I am giving this an 8 out of 10 because it is by Dario Argento, who I love. There are several things about Dario Argento's films that I don't love. Number one on that list would be the dubbing. I would prefer it if Argento would let the actors speak Italian and have subtitles at the bottom of the screen. I would love to hear Asia Argento speak Italian in this movie. I would love it if her vocals were not put in later, but instead were recorded by a boom mike over her head. I hate dubbing period, but I have gotten used to the use of it in Argento's films. The first half of the movie was kind of hard to get through, but it wasn't bad. I think Asia is a great actress, and she has a great style. I think she is going to have a breakout role one day that will cause the whole world to know her as a household name. The second half, I would call the "blonde wig" half of the movie was so much better than the first half. However, you can't have one without the other. If the first half is dark, the second half is the light. The scenes with Asia and Marie in the park and on the scooter were great. The scooter scene with Asia and Marie riding along the street with the old buildings in the background was one of the best cinematic moments I have seen in a while. I even liked how the people in the other cars were waving. I did not see the twist coming at the end. The whole movie reminded me of Silence of the Lambs, Cape Fear, Vertigo, Alice in Wonderland (when Asia is in the blue dress, running down the alternate exit of her building), and that Ashley Judd movie, Kiss The Girls. There were also several parts that reminded me of other Argento movies, but that is a given in all of his movies. The score was really cool. The closeups of the bullet traveling through skin was kind of neat, too. All in all, not bad - much more complex than his Hitchcock movie, but that wasn't too bad either. I also love how Argento always uses great locations for movies ... as if he is paying homage to all the beautiful parts of Italy (and Germany sometimes). It really makes you want to visit every place, and Hitchcock did the same with his movies. The only thing about Argento that bugs me is that he never can seem to make a really good, dark, complete movie. I think Suspiria is one of his few movies that worked on every level. I enjoyed Phenomena (Creepers), too, and I remember liking Deep Red (but I need to watch it again ... it has been a while). I just wish he would do something that really puts all of his talent into one movie.