The Comfort of Strangers

Starring:Christopher Walken, Rupert Everett, Natasha Richardson, Helen Mirren, Manfredi Aliquo, David Ford (IV), Daniel Franco, Rossana Canghiari, Fabrizio Castellani, Mario Cotone, Giancarlo Previati, Antonio Serrano
Director: Paul Schrader
Studio: Madacy Records
Product Type: DVD

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Based on a creepy Ian McEwan novel, this Paul Schrader film stars Natasha Richardson and Rupert Everett as a married couple who find their marriage sliding into a morass of tedium. To reignite it, they visit Venice, where they fall under the spell of an urbane older couple, played by Christopher Walken (in one of his most chillingly insinuating roles) and Helen Mirren (who seems to be more his crippled acolyte than his wife). British reserve forces the younger couple to be polite to these strange birds, but increased exposure to them through coincidental meetings gradually pulls them into their deadly orbit. Adapted by Harold Pinter, it's a slightly arid but still goose-fleshy film in which nothing is what it seems to be and, what's worse, nothing familiar looks familiar anymore. --Marshall Fine

Customer Reviews:

THE COMFORT OF STRANGERS.......2006-03-09

The DVD was in good shape, what more can I ask for. I'd seen this movie in the past, I simply wanted to own it on DVD, I'm content.

Dead in the Water.......2005-09-04

This second Ian McEwan novel to make it to the screen arrived with dizzying credits, apart from the stature of the novelist himself. It was directed by the daring Paul Schrader, adapted by British playwright Harold Pinter, and scored by the innovative Angelo Badalamenti. In the power cast are Rupert Everett and Natasha Richardson as lovers vacationing in Venice, and Christopher Walken and Helen Mirren as Venetians who befriend them. They are costumed by Giorgio Armani and photographed by Dante Spinotti, who shot "The Insider" and "LA Confidential." The canals are impressive, but the movie is dead in the water.

Beautiful locations (old world interiors, glassmaking at Murano) and beautiful people are good for so many minutes. Nudity, lovemaking, homoeroticism and sado-masochism carry this movie a little longer. But eventually you have to tell an interesting story with plausible characters, as McEwan did in his book. That essential has eluded Schrader and his famous collaborators. The concluding murder is unbelievable and inevitable at the same time, and the ending is maddeningly ambiguous. At least the victim, like the viewer, was not bored to death. That's the best you can say about this bad DVD transfer of a disappointing film.

Pretentious and Wooden.......2005-08-16

This is one of the worst movies I've ever seen. Rupert Everett is a perfect mannequin, standing around modeling his clothes in the WORST performance by any movie actor in history; Helen Mirren is totally wasted; she looks like she's barely paying attention. Richardson looks embarrassed, and Walken hams it up as his trademarked cliched "creepy guy", who's about as intriguing as a Chicken McNugget. He reminds me of the Euro seducer "The Continental" from SNL. Even the mood music is bad. The only mystery about this movie is why these horrible, stupid, and completely boring characters don't just pass out from ennui as they spout out their inane, stilted streams of dialogue. Really, this is a movie about ventriloquist dummies who get lost in the somewhat confusing streets of Venice. You will not care about these people; in fact you will need coffee to stay awake to the end.

A Haunting and Deep masterpiece of cinema! MUST SEE!.......2005-02-14

The Comfort of Strangers will appeal to those who are perceptive, have a long attention span, and love films that require attention to detail. This film is the model for understated elegance, with a plot line that at times seems mundane but with a world of subtext that could only have been created by the combined genius of Harold Pinter, Ian McEwan, and Paul Schrader.

Rupert Everett gives an excellent performance alongside Natasha Richardson as the self-obsessed boyfriend. But Walken and Mirren are even better, putting in career defining performances as the deviant couple that pulls Everett and Richardson into their twisted web.

There seems to be some confusion over the relationship of Everett and Richardson's characters. They are a couple that is considering moving in together, but nowhere in the film does it say that they are married as several reviewers have stated. In fact, Richardson is not even sure if Everett likes her kids, and she does an excellent job evoking the angst of the single mother trying to decide what she wants out of this man. Their state of uncertainty is important to this film because it provides the vulnerability that Walken preys on.

Everett and Richardson do find comfort in their sexual connection, but it needs to be noted that this connection only peaks after they've been subjected to the cruel mind games of Walken's "Robert." They too are strangers, in a sense, to each other. Robert senses this, and cunningly picks apart their fears and weaknesses. In the end, their polite tolerance of Robert and Caroline's strange games has very negative consequences.

The dialogue of the movie can alienate the viewer sometimes. The "thighs conversation" and the "we were this gang" monologue are slightly forced. But these are minor bumps in a road that requires careful study and appreciation. The characters speak out of things from the recesses of their minds and hearts. It's not always "entertaining," but it is always meaningful and profound.

The film is also visually stunning, evoking of sense of Venice as few other films have. The use of colors and lighting make this a masterpiece of cinematic precision. While this type of shooting is more commonplace today, the high quality is really stunning when considering this movie was made in the early 90s on an independant film budget. Simply brilliant.

I highly recommend this picture. Fans of Pinter and McEwan will not be disappointed! Enjoy!

a very sexy Christopher Walken.......2004-12-05

Strange movie, creepy almost. But I loved it so much that I had to go to Venice. I had to see it for myself. The story is about a couple who lost the magic in their marriage and go to the romantic Venice to find it again. Instead they find this other couple, kind of strange but seductive and their intentions are not the best. A sensual movie about romance and death. The end is at least a huge surprise, you'll never see that coming. I confess, I like Christopher Walken and therefore the movie. It's creepy, shoking!, decadent, seducitve...everything, nice setting and great music. Watch it. You might love it or hate it, but you won't get bored and won't forget it.

Average customer rating:

THE COMFORT OF STRANGERS
Dead in the Water
Pretentious and Wooden
A Haunting and Deep masterpiece of cinema! MUST SEE!
a very sexy Christopher Walken

The Comfort of Strangers
Starring: Christopher Walken , Rupert Everett , Natasha Richardson , Helen Mirren , and Manfredi Aliquo
Director: Paul Schrader
Manufacturer: Madacy Records
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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