Perfume: A História de um Assassino

In this colourful and gripping film, you can literally "smell" the pictures. Sometimes they are captivating, sometimes awful, but they are always fascinating. A great, great movie about sensuality, desire, greed... and the quest for love. Wonderful cast (even Hoffman is excellent!), wonderful music (and the score is not "too" present, which is a good thing), wonderful direction. 2 and a half hours may seem a long time for some, but not for the real sensualists. The story and the film may have their flaws, but they also have outstanding qualities and in a perfect world Tom Tykwer should receive an award for his superb adaptation of the splendid book by Patrick Süsskind.

A must see. Or, should I say, a must "smell"!

wow, a serial-killer movie WITHOUT blood and action and wild chase sequences and stuff like this.

People who are used to fast Hollywood Movies certainly won't be satisfied with this movie. It's really unusual, as the novel is. It's generally difficult to convey something like a SMELL in a book or a movie, and it's also difficult to create a satisfying adaption of a novel. So my personal opinion is that The Parfume Movie is one of the few good adaptations, because it eagerly tries to convey the complicated world of smells and the world of Grenouille and also achieves it in many ways. There are of course some parts missing or changed if you compare novel and movie, but that is always the case with adaptations.

I saw the movie one hour ago and have just read some comments. Some of them are "disappointed" or "boooring", but most of these opinions are really not well founded, so I couldn't make out what EXACTLY was so boring and disappointing... However, I'll keep on dwelling in the magic of the movie, looking forward to other more positive comments...

I don't understand people who say this movie is dull, boring or bad. I guess these people are only into mindless action-movies with simple dialog where people get slaughtered in a brutal and visually gory way. If you have a mind and you are able to think, this movie maybe something for you. The characters in the movie are strong, you sympathize with them easily. It is upsetting why the main character is killing the girls, as it is actually unnecessary. The sceneries and costumes look great. I felt like I was there. The movie shows moderate violence, which is all just suggestive, you don't see any blood. I give this movie 8 points. It is a good movie, which I'd recommend to my friends.

Wow, this is really a bizarre story with an ending that probably will turn off 98 percent of viewers who stick with this two hours, 147-minute film. I'm not sure what to make of it, other than totally understanding if people are left unsatisfied after watching this movie. As I said, I'm not sure how to interpret it as I just finished it minutes ago. It leaves you almost stunned.

Rather than judging that finale and having to use spoilers, let me just comment on the first two hours of the film, which I found utterly fascinating. If I wasn't such an admirer of photography, art and special-effects, I doubt I would have found the movie so appealing because the story is "not for everyone." However, thanks to stunning French city and countryside scenery, 18th century period and beautiful women it enhanced the story to me. Yet, regardless of the visual treats, the story was so unusual it still would have held my attention.

There are enough reviews here so that to go into the story in detail isn't needed except to say this is an "original." I'm not familiar with any other story about a man who has such an extraordinary sense of smell that he can perform olfactory miracles and then, because of it, uses it to turn into a mass murderer. This is weird, really weird, but captivating to say the least.

Ben Wishaw, who plays the lead character "Jean-Baptist Grenouille, has a face that is perfect for this role. His emaciated body, which survived a brutal childhood existence from the moment he was born also makes his character all the more credible. The looks of shock and awe on this man's face throughout the picture also add to his believability. He was mesmerizing with his haunting expressions. Dustin Hoffman and Alan Rickman provide "name" actors the film but it's Wishaw's movie, all the way.

I can only recommend this movie to those who share similar interests in cinematography and who like a "different" story but there are so many things in here - especially the ending - that could offend so many people, I would be hesitant to recommend this to the general viewer.

I'm going to go look for the book at our local library. I'm curious how that version compared to the screenplay.

I just read the book last week and watched the movie yesterday. And I have to say, I liked it. For sure, it wasn't as good as the book. On the one hand it is hard to visualize smells and on the other hand not everything can be shown during the movie. But for me, it was realized pretty well. Even you can not smell the things, you can imagine how they smell which may be due to the camera work, which was well done! For me, the actors did a really good job, too. They played their roles really good and according to Grenouille, I really thought that he was the Grenouille described in the book. The only "negative" thing I can say about that, is that in the book he is described as an ugly person, but Ben Wishow is not ugly. But to me, that didn't really matter. So, all in all I have to say, that the movie isn't as good as the book (which is mostly the case), but although I think that it is a really good made movie.