Charlie Countryman

It seems like people have recently become quite callous because otherwise I couldn't understand why this excellent romantic semi-comedy/semi-drama/semi-crime story with excellent likable characters and a lot of love couldn't be highly appreciated.

It's not like this movies is without its flaws, for instance sometimes it dragged on and some parts of it could have been easily cut out without affecting the story in any way.

What you are about to see is a crazy love story involuntarily intertwined with the criminal world. It's not about being a hero and conquering the love of your life when you are lost, it's just about following the emotions which bring you to life.

I'd recommend this movie to anyone who thinks of himself as a romantic person, and I'd definitely recommend it to all ladies.

On balance I think I enjoyed "Charlie Countryman", though it sure was a bizarre film that left me confused. It's NOT a film more most audiences and is for someone willing to look at a film that comes at them from all sorts of strange directions.

The film stars Shia LaBeouf--and he's a very strange actor that is hard to categorize. Sure, he made fluff Hollywood pieces like the Transformer movies--but he also made this small film as well as the sex-filled films "Nymphomaniac 1" as well as Nymphomaniac 2" with famed Danish director Lars von Trier. There's just no telling where he'll show up next!

"Charlie Countryman" starts with the death of Charlie's estranged mother. Oddly, just after she dies, he (LaBeouf) sitting in the hall outside her hospital room--and she comes to talk to him! She's been a mostly absent mother and he asks for some advice from her and she tells him to go to Bucharest, Romania.

On the trip there, the nice guy sitting next to him dies in his sleep. But, like earlier, the dead guy then has a conversation with Charlie-- asking him to take a very silly hat to his daughter (Evan Rachel Wood). He does this but somehow has convinced himself that there MUST be more to the story than this--some other, higher purpose. So, although this daughter pushes him away and her husband terrifies Charlie because he's a psycho mobster (Mads Mikkelsen--in a very scary role). And, again and again, Charlie is nearly killed by the mobster and his goons...but he continues seeking out the girl, as he's SURE there is a purpose to their meeting and being together.

Along the way, there are a lot of violent and nude scenes--far more than in a typical R-rated film. It is not for the squeamish or prudish, that's for sure. In addition to LaBeouf and Mikkelsen stretching their comfort zones in acting, Rupert Grint plays a drug-abusing strange person...and I mean STRANGE. There are tons of things to offend you in this one, a confusing and strange plot, weird characters and Bucharest-- one of the least touristy towns in the world. I kind of liked it because the film took so many risks and because the music was great. But, there was an awful lot that just seemed to not quite belong as well. For the viewer who is looking for something different...very, very, very different.

Nigh on impossible to categorize, kookier than a Tim Burton Halloween party, an at times borderline incoherent shambles and a film destined for a life time in the Cult selection of cinema, Fredrik Bond's energetic and unique The Necessary Death of Charlie Countryman is an absolute blast of fresh air that despite all its many faults and inadequacies is a film well worth tracking down for its undeniable charms and ability to never conform to expectations.

The story at the centre of Charlie Countryman feels no need to adhere to much formal structure or the ABC's of movie storytelling and fly's the line between being a straight up drama, a love story, a frenetic thriller and some type of modern day fairy tale where the dead talk and Mads Mikkelsen wears a vast array of insane shirts with a highlight being his sausage dog getup. Charlie's journey to Bucharest is undertaken because his dead mum told him to go there and once there the story continues to surprise, frustrate and involve in equal measure and Bond has such a keen eye for not only the eye-popping visual (a scene where Charlie and his new friends Luc and Carl played by the Inbetweeners Buckley and a very naughty wizard in the form of Grint first party a particular highpoint) but a great feel for the pace and structure of the film that you can't help but go along with all its craziness and you'll find yourself asking internally "since when has Shia LaBeouf been so tolerable?".

In a role that showcases a talent that is missing far too often in his other projects LaBeouf delivers here in what could be his best role outside of kids classic Holes. Charlie is clearly a messed up person and LaBeouf plays him to perfection with the right amount of vulnerability, smarts and craziness that while hard to relate to is always watchable. LaBeouf is well supported by the other cast members and in particular by a menacing Mads Mikkelsen who continues to impress in everything he does. Mikkelsen's role of drug dealing gangster Nigel is a strange one but fits in well with the films tone. Evan Rachael Wood is perhaps the films weak link in a role that doesn't exactly click in the ways we needed for the love story to be more involving.

Not for everyone and as stated early filled with many various faults The Necessary Death of Charlie Countryman is also more enjoyable the countless other films released on a week to week basis. A fine debut film by director Bond and a role that shows LaBeouf can in fact act and act well, Charlie Countryman should be sort out but perhaps not by Harry Potter fans who wish to remember Ron Weasley as a clean cut ginger wizard not a budding adult movie star called Boris Pecker.

3 and a half hard partying Ronald Weasley's out of 5

The movie is good, balanced and colorful with deep emotion bathing and fast pace, makes your heart race. I really enjoyed it.

But Bucharest is NOTHING like depicted in this movie. Bucharest is just like any other modern city in Europe. I was born here and I HAVE NEVER SEEN a group of gypsies just sitting on the ground like in one or two of the scenes in this movie. I found myself wondering if they really shot some of the scenes here. It looked kind of like India. ENOUGH with the gypsies already! This city.. pardon, this country is not about the gypsies, never been, never will be. Just a few rodents. Every city has its portion of rodents. Let's not make movies with them, shall we? PS. where did they get a trabant ? :) Been a while since I saw one of that around here. (10 years or so)

Protagonists Shia LeBeouf - the stuttering Transformers boy - supported by Evan Rachel Wood, and antagonists Mads Mikkelsen and Til Schweiger, also with Rupert Grint (Harry Potter's Ron Weasley).

Poster, cast, trailer, and IMDb good rating were what made me watch this indie movie which I usually don't give an interest. Interesting poster art with 90-degree orientation, sharp stare, beautiful colors, and Evan Rachel Wood's face lurking back behind LeBeouf's face. The poster reminds me of Limitless, which tells us a story about a kind of drug that maximizes your brain capacity.

But the story is different than Limitless. The only same thing is the pupil on the poster. If in Limitless the pupil portrays a brilliant mind after consuming NZT, here it depicts hallucinations. The love story is unlikely, a blind act of love with courage to take unknown risks.

The movie has several draggy parts, a little bit of action during the last 15 minutes, a bit of funny/corny scenes, and a particular twist at the end which successfully upped my personal rating about this movie.

The cinematography was good, showing a little view of Bucharest painted with interesting colors, and accompanied by good soundtracks. The acting is good too, I like Evan Rachel Wood's Russioan accent even though I don't know whether people in Romania use that accent. LeBeouf also seems to gave his all despite his stuttering. Not forgetting the antagonists that gives a scary impression.

It felt like watching a movie based on a graphic novel. Those who loves indie movies should see this.