You know, Sergiu Nicloaescu...he's a man most people living in Romania have heard of. As a matter of fact, when I participated at a certain seminar and people were asked to name a Romanian film director, his name popped up on most of the lists. I hadn't seen any of his films and simply had to be intrigued by such a seemingly mesmerizing person.
I suppose you all know the saying "Don't judge a book by its cover". It hardly applies, but you catch my drift. If art didn't have any political implications, maybe we'd have missed many masterpieces along the years. However, there is a certain limit where it all has to end. Most unfortunately, limits (still) tend to be overshadowed and misplaced around here...which might well explain a thing or two.
The film just isn't in any way how I imagined it to be. There's little of a storyline to follow, for it's a...aham, character study. Take note, authentically ONE character. Obviously, Nicolaescu's. The film goes so far as to harass the dignity an active human brain might possess. Nicolaescu's self-obsession is rather pregnant throughout the gazillion minutes the movie stretches and ends up being a severe insult brought not only to movie goers, but to the whole Romanian nation. It may sound harsh, but it's a fact, because it's an issue of image and we're way behind on this. 2004 really wasn't a glamorous year for Romanian cinema, but to present "Orient Express" to a foreign public is similar to inflicting yourself cut wounds. Luckily enough, such wounds heal, but it can take a while. About the film, well...people act very strange in the mystic forests around the prince's castle, while the superficial image of society is tasteless and hollow. Were it not for the unexpected beginning, I'd dare to say it's an endless bore. And, actually, it is.
Nicolaescu's effort consists of gathering a mostly talentless cast (not endangering his superior position) and then shooting an absolutely disappointing flick. I suppose he's got at least one good film in his credits, however, with Orient Express, he proves to be a most untalented director. 3/10
