Jericho Mansions

"Jericho Mansions" is a seriously eccentric indie thriller with a surprising amount going for it. Acting heavyweights James Caan and Geneviève Bujold are both featured in inspired late career turns. Caan gives a nuanced, intricate performance as the mistreated handyman for an apartment building. Bujold reaches for the rafters as a wrathful landlord that despises Caan and wants to see him put away. They're really fun to watch together, with the always welcome bonus of Jennifer Tilly to add to the camp and surreality.

In addition to the strong performances, this arty film sports an elaborate visual style that punches way beyond its meager budget. There's even unusually effective use of CGI to explore the building's cavernous interiors. There's probably a little too much going on in this very ambitious movie: it can be tough to keep track of the apartment dwellers and their significance to the story. Still, things wrap up with a bang (!) and I was thoroughly satisfied.

I did appreciate this one! It wasn't a surprise because I had read some previous comments here on IMDb, and the movie is just like some of them said: a piece of art cinema with a great cinematography! The "roller coaster" camera effect is really great and gives it an original and artistic touch, which I really appreciated! The plot, by itself, isn't particularly fantastic or original, in spite of have some suspense/mystery and create tension to the viewer. So, what's really great in this movie is its cinematography (especially the camera work). The characters are also great, very well constructed in the plot. In my point of view I just felt pity by the ending. I mean, I would prefer a more inconclusive ending, rather than this one, straight and "well explained"… In fact I think the movie would be better, and would have an increased artistic value, if the plot (and especially the ending) wasn't so straight to follow, like a banal/common murder story! I agree with a previous comment when the author says this movie crosses the European cinema sensibility with the American storytelling… I guess it's just like that, and in my point of view I think the film lost something with the American storytelling part…

All actors' performances were also good, but I will emphasize the main role played by the gentleman James Caan. I think it's well worked out and is a great part of the film!

It's a good art-cinema film which I will score 9/10, especially because of that!

There seems to be several pieces missing in this puzzle. A phone call from a sister intensifies a landlady's inexplicable mistreatment of her slow agoraphobic building superintendent. The butt of jokes among the local cops, she once again accuses him of theft but nothing is ever found. But after thirty years, the super's confusing dreams of what appears to be a bad spaghetti western suddenly come into focus when he becomes the focal point of a brutal murder. Has he murdered someone while sleepwalking? The tenants bear witness to his wild swings of passivity and passion.

Wildly confusing at times, it all becomes crystal clear in the end when we discover why the landlady is sure the super has been stealing from her for years. When at last, he comes to understand who and what he is, will he actually know what it is he wants? When the ones who desert it, get what they deserve, will he get what he wants and deserves? For those who willing pay attention and stick this movie out, they will enjoy having all their questions answered.

In the world of international cinema, with various countries cultures and actors beginning to have an increased presence on screens internationally, Jericho Mansions is an admirable attempt to merge European sensibility with American storytelling. While unlikely to win major awards, it does deserve some recognition for its professional production design, imaginative steady-cam work and world-class visual effects.

The most accurate description of this film is to say it is a cross between Roman Polanski's "The Tenant" and Marc Caro & Jean-Pierre Jeunet's "Delicatessen." Though not quite as successful as either of those two films, it is nonetheless worth checking out. Despite a few holes in the story and some derivative film-making, there is much of interest here. The art direction is fine, James Caan's performance is quite good, Genevieve Bujold and Jennifer Tilley are lots of fun, and the director is quite astute at making the apartment building a character in itself. Overall the film has a surreal, haunting quality that resonates long after viewing.