Michael Kohlhaas

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.

In this day and age of fast scenes and bloody gore, apparently this movie left some critics calling it dull and lifeless. Not me.

The measured pace was right for this film. It's simplicity was correct and fitted the era. By simplicity, I mean the lack of 'Hollywood-ised' scenes that we're used to seeing about peasants, barons and queens.

If you're a thinking person who enjoy very good actors, a movie that travels at a pace that reflects an actual story about human beings, social justice and conflicts, irony and dilemma, the stuff of life, this is a powerful and intense drama.

As always, anyone who fights for what is right, is never seen in a perfect shade of black or white.

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.

Some people might not feel comfortable with this film, which is not surprising. It does move with a very slow pace and it is a movie about values. The question is, do you want a movie that might feel like a lecture to you? It isn't of course, but I would understand if some viewers would feel like that.

Mads is playing as strong as ever and the character is complicated, but has a strong sense of righteousness. Something that has been the downfall for many people. And standing up for yourself or others is not that easy. It's easier to just back down and take it, than to stand up and fight. But is it worth it? There are quite a few questions that you might ask yourself after watching this movie, because it does not answer everything for you ...