Polis

There is a quote from Vonnegut in the beginning of the movie - something about the importance of not being satisfied with reality only - that, I think, is what the director is trying to say. This is fine, but at the end of it I would like to know what it was all about.

Part John Woo, part Godard, part Resnais and all nonsense, the film seems like a half-hearted homage to many styles. However, there was a poetic violent beauty to Hard-Boiled, a strong, if playful, philosophical discourse to Alphaville, and a beguiling personal statement about memory in Last Year at Marienbad. There is no substance to Polis.

The director shows talent for film making and an obvious love of cinema, but there is no insight in this film. The whole thing is a mishmash of styles thrown together with no rhyme or reason. It reminds me of the stone thrown into a well by the madman in the Turkish proverb. The joke is on anyone who tries to make sense of the act. Two of the best actors of modern Turkish cinema are wasted in this woeful, pretentious effort.

The film is unexpectedly surprising and shocking. I believe this is an important film and will be given more importance in time.

Story is developed around a police detective (Musa Rami) destructing himself and his family. He lives platonic love with a university student who is making interview with him for her thesis. He looses all beloved people and colleagues around and finally himself too.

In the story one shock is coming after other and another from beginning till end. The rapid developments of such shocking scenes are creating knock-down effect on the spectators. The main character, conservative and heroic Police Detective Musa Rami is living big dilemma from life to death, from loosing his family to fall in love in a very short time period like two mounts. The tragedy is not ending until he looses every thing. With this main character, Haluk Bilginer is again proving his proficiency as an unforgettable profile. And Ozgu Namal is nearly catching up his performance. We do not see such black films in Turkish Cinema frequently. Therefore I believe this film will be remembered as a milestone in the future.

While the film has a high artistic but clip style approach to the subject, it also referring to many famous and contemporary film in different scenes. As much as I could catch these are, Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, Blue, Fame, Danko, Matrix. Especially after loosing whole family, the scene with music of Blue and blue painting stain in the background wall is so impressive for the movie addicts. Two critics: the music is sometimes not compatible with scenes, and some players were appeared as weak where Haluk Bilginer exists.

Congratulations to the creators of such authentic and successful film.

I have to admit from the beginning that I did not like the movie at all, but it does not mean that it was a bad movie. It was synthetic, artificial, out-of-place, foreign and unwelcoming. I did not believe anything in the movie for a second, since every move and every line reeked absurdity. I do not know how much of it was intended by the director, and what its purpose was...

The scenes were disturbingly empty, and camera positions were always awkward. If the director wanted to enhance the air of surrealism by that, he succeeded. But again, why? As the finale closed, I became more and more annoyed and bored, even though Haluk Bilginer was on the screen. For me, the presence of Haluk Bilginer on the cast always guarantees a decent movie, but I think this was the exception to the rule, for reasons beyond him.

I get the feeling that this director confuses being original with filling his movie with obtuse homages to marginal cinema examples around the world. (A Turkish cinemamaker does not have such luxury. I'm afraid he will either be weeded out by natural selection, or possibly opt to make more mainstream, box-office stuff.) Giving the director the benefit of the doubt, I sincerely hope that this was an experiment, not a failure. I'll try to see the next movie this director makes, but I will not pay for it...

In this movie which has Haluk Bilginer -a veteran actor- in the leading role, you will find a mixture of the old and new Turkish movies. You will be surprised when you see the insensitivity of the main character, Musa Rami about the events are happening around him and his family. The movie also has a twist ending. This is absolutely a must-see movie. You can just watch it to see what visionary director means. Acting is cool, scenario is perfect and the movie is incredible!

When I first saw the trailer and read the plot summary, I thought that it is yet another hero-cop movie with lots of gun fights. However, after I watched it, I realized that I was completely wrong. The movie starts with a scene which our hero beats four men at the same time but after a few minutes you understand that all the absurd and non real scenes including the fight scene are shot on purpose. I think it is kind of a black comedy and you don't have to know Turkish culture to understand most of the jokes. I don't really want to reveal other parts of the movie it may be some kind of a spoiler and I think director himself also really concerns about spoilers because from the trailer you expect to see something else. If you have a chance to watch this movie, don't miss it and watch.