La camera dei morti

Horrible title for an amazing film. It's drawn a lot of comparisons to The Silence of the Lambs, which makes sense since it was obviously inspired by it (there's even a little nod to it with the main character having the novel on her bookshelf); the bleak and unrelenting tone as a backdrop for a story with a strong but tortured female detective hunting a killer. But the film shouldn't be dismissed as a rip-off or anything close; it's a fantastic journey into the darkness with a strong performance to bring you in. The story has an interesting approach in bringing us into the world, with a drunk driving incident being the catalyst for a murder and thus bringing the police force into it all.

Unlike most tales of this nature though, we get a lot of focus into many different subplots involving a romantic relationship, the struggle of the men driving the car responsible for a murder and ultimately into the mind of the killer themselves. It gets a little cluttered in the middle with all of these strains going on, but ultimately it boils back down to a fascinating thriller with great characters and a powerful lead performance. Melanie Laurent is absolutely dynamite here, portraying the lead with a tortured soul and a strong surface front. She always has you focused on her, studying her expressions and being right with her through every emotion she faces. This is a gripping and very bleak mystery that keeps your mind racing along with your pulse; the final fifteen minutes are some of the most intense I've seen in some time. Definitely an underrated hit.

With a few situations similar to the Silence of the Lamb; LA CHAMBRE DES MORTS is able to become a complete different and original thriller. Two men hit with a car a person (and kill him) carrying a bag full of money. They take the money and dispose the body however that money was the ransom for a kidnapped girl who is murdered. Another girl, a diabetic one, is kidnapped so a police woman and her partner follow the case. The story follows different directions; the two men who stole the money, the kidnappers, the police and even the kidnapped girl in a brief escape attempt to cross paths near the end. The investigation in itself is realistically resolved; which somewhat drags the first half of the movie. During the second half, several very intense situations raise the tension towards a final act, somewhat similar (but far from equal) to the Jonathan Demme's film. Melanie Laurent, gives an interesting performance as the single mother of two babies' police woman; trying to take care of her siblings while trying to find the killers. While the rest of the cast keeps the level above average. It is important to note that while the gore and violence level are not high; some situations and images are very intense. The movie was rated OVER 12 YEARS OLD in France; which is something like an R here in USA.

I've had the chance to see this movie yesterday in Paris before I leave. From the trailer, I thought it's worth seeing as it looks like a good thriller/horror film. But I was so disappointed. The story line is somehow predictable. It lacks originality and you can easily compare it to a masterpiece of cinema (i'm not gonna mention the name, but i'm pretty sure you'll guess it). As for the cast, I think they were over-acting here and there, maybe due to the weak script and the empty moments where they look like not knowing what to fill the scene with. But hey, not everything is bad, you'll enjoy some good cinematography in some scenes, specially in the beginning. Unfortunately, i think it's a missed opportunity and as we say in french: Dommage, c'est raté!

I completely disagree with the comment made by the person from UAE. I'm not generally a fan of the horror/thriller genre, but since this a French film, I was willing to give it a shot. It far exceeded my expectations. I'm not going to say anything about the film's plot, because this is one of those movies to see when you don't know anything about it. I'm just going to say that a smart, small distributor should pick this movie up for distribution here in the U.S. I would suggest a title change for the U.S. from the unfortunate "Melody's Smile." Why not use the literal translation from the original French title, which is "The Room of the Dead"? The audience I saw this with in Los Angeles at COL-COA this week was very enthusiastic. This movie is so much better than the by-the-numbers horror thrillers that so many U.S. movie makers crank out. This movie is genuinely creepy and scary.

As already noticed by other reviewers, this a french "homagge" to "Silence of the lambs", to make things perfectly clear one of the main characters in the film even picks up the Thomas Harris book. It has its problems: pacing is uneven, some scenes drag quite a bit and there are some holes in the plot but when everything is added this is a pretty solid effort whit some interesting ideas and great, lyrical ending. Actors are all very good, even in the smallest of parts(the zoo owner was great). Directon is stylish and camera work impressive at times. Although the script isn't all that original it does elaborate some great twists and psychological insight. It merits one viewing, 7/10.