Death and the Maiden

directed by a convicted rapist who fled the country to avoid jail time.

If you like films with clear-cut roles and endings, this is not for you. However, if you realize that these things are often mixed and that situations do not often have clear endings, this is a film you should definitely watch. Beautiful and filled with suspense. The acting and directing is incredible.

Polanski scores again. One of the rare examples of a good play done very well in modern cinema

Excellent suspense thriller with a tight script and unpredictable events. I'm not sure I always loved Weaver's performance, but it's an interesting one. Interesting commentary on justice, law, and revenge. Great stuff that flies by.

Seen: 2.

Entirely one giant dialogue

The way Polanski keeps us glued to the sofa is amazing. A delicate issue very well put in a film. Weaver nails it, it looked like she was on the stage. So many people have been tortured and much of what happened is still hidden. Great movie, it never gets old.

This is the point where Polanski, no doubt owing to circumstantial constraints, began focusing on intimate chamber dramas often based on plays. Death and the Maiden is what you might call a chamber political thriller. The text's great complexity bolsters the suspense, adding constant little twists and turns, but to its detriment renders the film stagy and less realistic. Weaver's great talent is stretched to its limit, showing signs of effort at the peaks, but Kingsley's mastery is unassailable.

Death and the Maiden shows its source medium of a play very clearly in positive ways with a gripping single-setting that has a curious mystery and high stakes. The combination works like a guarantee and it's entertaining throughout. Weaver overacts incredibly and actually loses sympathy, not as a victim, but as a human being. Wilson is the only reasonable character and by extension, performance, but Kingsley's mostly good. Fairly silly throughout thanks to Weaver, but this is worth your time.

Utterly irritating. But even the relentless heavy-handedness of both the writing and the directing can't kill the integrity of the performances of the two leads.

Very gripping throughout, very similar to most Post-Tate Polanski movies, where they deal with the drama between only a couple of people in a small space. The theme seems to be forgiveness through the admission of guilt.

78.000

The plot has many differences with Ariel Dorfman's play, on which the film is based, but I believe it is a great adaptation nevertheless. Ben Kingsley, Sigourney Weaver and Stuart Wilson were all wonderful, never seeming to overact as is sometimes the case with film-plays, delivering strong and real performances.

Intense revenge chamber piece with good performances and intimate mis en scene but marred by a stagey feel.

75.500

Interesting exploration of torture and the possibility or impossibility of justice and forgiveness, undermined to some extent by a rather clunky presentation and variable performances.

Certainly the most dramatic work I've seen of Sigourney Weaver, and it's seems clear why her status has declined over the years (the rest of the cast is serviceable). An ending with no clear satisfaction was the best choice. Not overly impressive, but worthwhile.

A good film version of an excellent Ariel Dorfman play. Ben Kingsley and Sigourney Weaver are both very good.

After giving it another shot I have to now excuse myself [previous rank 50/100]. The tension here could've been cut by scissors, and as for the acting, both Weaver AND SIR KINGSLEY were brilliant. I also love the subtle way Polanski films this small but powerful gem of a movie.

Nice suspense movie with only 3 actors. I like such movies and Weaver and Kingsley were great in their performances but the end was for me predictable. Good movie.

Decent film.

Well done cat and mouse, dialogue driven thriller.

Though Weaver's occasionally over-the-top performance contributes to a wobbly midsection, Polanski is pretty much up to the tough claustrophobic challenge. Kingsley is exceptional.

Tense throughout!

Theatre act kind of movie. Acted mostly inside of one house.

Good acting/directing but it would have been better if it was under an hour.

acting is better than film itself