Salve Sua Pele... Tattoo

It was too late!If there had not been "silence of the lambs", "seven",this German flick could have had its day.But it tries too hard to be like the American relatives and it cannot be compared with them.It seems that in Europa only Spanish Amenabar was able to transcend his models.

Not that "tattoo" is devoid of good scenes.The rain falling over Maya's body ,revealing her impressive tattoos ,is a great moment ,both erotic and unsettling;the lawyer and his awful collection provides the movie with another strong sequence.

But ,with its "open" ending,à la "silence of the lambs" (which goal is,obviously to make an eventual sequel,"Tattoo" tries too hard and it's finally its downfall.A curio.

Saw this flick at a funky theater in Pasadena, California known for showing art-type films.

I thought this film was very well made. OK, the ending was slightly ambiguous, but who cares. The story, character development, acting were great and the production value was high. It was beautifully shot, lit, directed, edited and the music was great. Was hoping to get to see it again but it left the theatre before I had a chance. I am a big fan of this genre and most are not of the level of quality of TATTOO.

Am I the only person who liked this movie this much? And I don't even have a tattoo.

Anybody know if this film can be rented or purchased?

roz tillman

If David Fincher's SE7EN was a mystery shot through the prism of 70s American crime films, then Robert Schwentke's TATTOO is a mystery shot through the prism of 70's European art films. The comparisons are inescapable, it shares SE7EN's dark look, dual detectives, mid-point chase and "something in a box" as well as its meticulous, exacting direction, but it is a very different film with very different thematic agendas. This German film about a secret market in skin and its thematic concerns of guilt, conformity, identity, violence and heritage suggest obvious connections to the Third Reich and the current crisis of east/west reintegration of culture. This rich thematic tapestry is held together by one of the most precise, stylish and icily dreamlike directorial debuts to be seen in decades. Shades of Antonioni and Cronenberg, as well as Tourneur and Hitchcock inform a style which is never imitative and truly hypnotic. Strong, understated performances ground the film, which stumbles only in a pre-climax exposition scene that feels shoe-horned in, for until that point, every piece of information is earned and visually realized. Schwentke is a director to watch; provocative, thoughtful and clearly in love with the art of cinema.

I had the pleasure of seeing the directorial debut of Robert Schwentke, TATTOO, over the weekend at the American Film Market in Santa Monica. And what a pleasure it was. Imagine the most gruesome horror film you can, conceived and shot with the eye and soul of an artist, and you begin to get the picture of this twisted tale of two cops investigating the trade in tattoo-adorned human skins. While the script occasionally slips into standard genre territory (it is, after all, essentially a "two cops after a killer movie"), the film itself is so riveting, shocking, and massively entertaining that any small flaws can be easily overlooked. I understand it comes out in Europe this spring - let's hope a North American release isn't far behind, because Schwentke is a director to watch, and if his debut is any indication, he is well on his way to becoming a world-class filmmaker.

I've seen Tattoo in a sneak preview and i think its pretty bad. The story has too many flaws and the dialogue is awful. If you like seeing dead bodies and other disturbing pictures without a good story behind, then go into this movie. But please dont compare this one to David Finchers Seven.