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IMDbPro

The Protagonists

  • 1999
  • 1h 32m
IMDb RATING
5.3/10
920
YOUR RATING
The Protagonists (1999)
From the dazzling locations of 'I Am Love' and emotionally truthful characters of the Oscar-nominated 'Call Me by Your Name,' to a taste for horror in 'Suspiria,' director Luca Guadagnino breaks down his cinematic trademarks for IMDb.
Play clip5:06
Watch A Guide to the Films of Luca Guadagnino
1 Video
4 Photos
True CrimeCrimeThriller

An Italian movie crew goes to London to make a documentary about a murder case that took place a few years before.An Italian movie crew goes to London to make a documentary about a murder case that took place a few years before.An Italian movie crew goes to London to make a documentary about a murder case that took place a few years before.

  • Director
    • Luca Guadagnino
  • Writer
    • Luca Guadagnino
  • Stars
    • Tilda Swinton
    • Fabrizia Sacchi
    • Andrew Tiernan
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    5.3/10
    920
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Luca Guadagnino
    • Writer
      • Luca Guadagnino
    • Stars
      • Tilda Swinton
      • Fabrizia Sacchi
      • Andrew Tiernan
    • 9User reviews
    • 2Critic reviews
    • 47Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 2 wins total

    Videos1

    A Guide to the Films of Luca Guadagnino
    Clip 5:06
    A Guide to the Films of Luca Guadagnino

    Photos3

    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster

    Top cast9

    Edit
    Tilda Swinton
    Tilda Swinton
    • Actress
    Fabrizia Sacchi
    Fabrizia Sacchi
    • Self
    Andrew Tiernan
    Andrew Tiernan
    • Mohammed
    Claudio Gioè
    Claudio Gioè
    • Happy
    Paolo Briguglia
    Paolo Briguglia
    • Billy
    Michelle Hunziker
    Michelle Hunziker
    • Sue
    Jhelisa
    • Self
    Laura Betti
    Laura Betti
    • Judge
    Chiara Conti
    • Zoe
    • Director
      • Luca Guadagnino
    • Writer
      • Luca Guadagnino
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews9

    5.3920
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    10

    Featured reviews

    1ulanbt

    pretentious POS

    How many times did they have to go through the scene of grisly murder to tell almost nothing about people who were actually involved in this real life story? What was going on in the heads of the criminals who murdered a man at random? What about victim's wife and children? Police detectives who solved the case? Jurors? Instead I watched an endless parade of pretentious beautiful people having a good time.

    A random single page of any of Dostoyevsky novels tells more about inner state of protagonists' mind than almost two hours of this torture.

    This is probably one of the worst films I ever saw.
    1jonathancanucklevine

    What did I just watch?

    A documentary? A docudrama? A music video? Whatever it was, it seems to have run about an hour too long. There is apparently a true story underneath the singing and moody driving-around-at-night visuals, but it failed to fight its way to the surface. And I don't know what to make of this silly culprits-who-cannot-by-law-be-named thing, as the info is out there in the free press: Jamie Petrolini and Richard Elsey. But this watch-us-make-the-story-of-the-story-and-hey-doesn't-this-singer-look-cool-and-the-audience-is-swaying-to-her-singing stuff?

    Dude, just because you had a new idea doesn't mean you had a *good* idea. Two thumbs down.
    therealmanhunter

    ...wanna see a mesmerizing movie?

    ...wanna see a mesmerizing movie? try this obscure italian docu-fiction starring miss Tilda 'Orlando' Swinton. It alternates cinema-verité and fictional reconstruction in a deep intense, experimental way. don't miss it if you like wild visions. music is stunningly beautiful and the editing is now fast then slow then fast again. I saw it in a festival and will look for a dvd release of it, it really touched me deeply. Paco
    8knvixen

    So touching

    A film about people making a film about a senseless murder sounds complicated, but it isn't. Using documentary and fantasy sequences along with the basic premise, it just works. The editing and cinematography create a visual treat that challenges you with great reward, the soundtrack complements the visuals so well and Tilda is her usual perfect self. The story is heartbreaking and handled with complete respect and honour for the man and his family. If you think The Princess Bride is the best film ever you won't like it, but then you don't deserve something as interesting and beautiful as this. I admit, it made me cry.
    1mossytreesprite

    Yeeeaaahhh... No.

    I think the 5-minute-long intro song gives a clue as to the time you would waste watching this movie. It's disjointed, awkward, and dull. I enjoy Tilda Swinton's acting in all of it's quirky glory; however, in this movie, it doesn't even feel like she's acting. It's more like "Tilda Swinton plays Tilda Swinton in a boring, poorly made documentary." I generally enjoy odd quirky films, but this one doesn't accomplish anything interesting. I think I know what the director is trying to convey (the juxtaposition of the banality and horror of murder) but it's done in such a clumsy way. It doesn't hold my attention. I say this as a person with a long attention span for documentaries and films.

    The short version of this review is: don't bother.

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    Storyline

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    Did you know

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    • Trivia
      Luca Guadagnino's first English-language film. It was also his first full-length film.
    • Connections
      Featured in Luca Guadagnino: Projecting Desire (2025)
    • Soundtracks
      The Garden
      Composed by Andrea Guerra

      Vocal by Tilda Swinton

      Performed by Bulgarian Symphony Orchestra-Sif 309 (as The Bulgarian Symphony Orchestra), conducted by Deyan Pavlov

      © & (p) 2004 by Warner Chappell Music Italiana S.r.l.

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    FAQ15

    • How long is The Protagonists?Powered by Alexa

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • September 10, 1999 (Italy)
    • Country of origin
      • Italy
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • 倫敦謎案
    • Filming locations
      • London, England, UK
    • Production companies
      • Surf Film
      • Medusa Film
      • Tele+
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 32m(92 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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