Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Latest
    • Thank You
    • 4000. Scenes From A Marriage (1973)
    • 3999. The Pianist (2002)
    • 3998. Philadelphia (1993)
    • 3997. Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975)
    • 3996. The Green Mile (1999)
    • 3995. Doctor Zhivago (1965)
    • 3994. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022)
    The Mad Movie Man
    • Home
    • Blog
      • All Posts
      • Best Of The Year
        • Best Of 2015
        • Best Of 2016
        • Best Of 2017
        • Best Of 2018
        • Best Of 2019
        • Best Of 2020
        • Best Of 2021
        • Best Of 2022
      • The Decade In Review
      • Box Office Analysis
      • James Bond
      • Oscars
      • RANKED
      • Star Wars
      • The Big Questions
      • Top 10
      • World Cinema
    • Ratings
      • Top 250
      • Top 100 Foreign Films
      • Bottom 50
      • 0 – 1.9
      • 2 – 3.9
      • 4 – 5.9
      • 6 – 7.9
      • 8 – 10
    • Genres
      • Action
      • Anthology
      • Animation
      • Christmas
      • Comedy
      • Crime
      • Documentary
      • Drama
      • Fantasy
      • Film-Noir
      • History
      • Horror
      • Kids’
      • Musical
      • Psychological
      • Romance
      • Sci-Fi
      • Short
      • Silent
      • Sport
      • Superhero
      • Survival
      • Thriller
      • Western
    • Release Year
      • 2020s
      • 2010s
      • 2000s
      • 1990s
      • 1980s
      • 1970s
      • 1960s
      • 1950s
      • 1940s
      • 1930s
      • 1920s
    • Country
      • Afghanistan
      • Argentina
      • Australia
      • Austria
      • Belgium
      • Brazil
      • Cambodia
      • Canada
      • Chile
      • China
      • Colombia
      • Costa Rica
      • Czechoslovakia
      • Czech Republic
      • Denmark
      • East Timor
      • Faroe Islands
      • Finland
      • France
      • Germany
      • Georgia
      • Greece
      • Hong Kong
      • Hungary
      • Iceland
      • India
      • Indonesia
      • Iran
      • Iraq
      • Ireland
      • Israel
      • Italy
      • Japan
      • Latvia
      • Lebanon
      • Laos
      • Malaysia
      • Mexico
      • New Zealand
      • Nigeria
      • North Korea
      • Norway
      • Paraguay
      • Peru
      • Philippines
      • Poland
      • Romania
      • Russia
      • Saudi Arabia
      • Singapore
      • South Korea
      • South Africa
      • Soviet Union
      • Spain
      • Sweden
      • Switzerland
      • Syria
      • Taiwan
      • Thailand
      • Turkey
      • Uganda
      • United Kingdom
      • United States
      • Uruguay
      • Vietnam
      • Zambia
    • About
    The Mad Movie Man
    You are at:Home»Review»1361. Closer (2004)

    1361. Closer (2004)

    0
    By The Mad Movie Man on May 24, 2016 100-109 mins, 2004, 8 - 10, Drama, May 16, Movies Of 2016, Review, Romance, United States
    8.3 Brutal and complex
    • Acting 8.5
    • Directing 8.3
    • Story 8.1
    • User Ratings (0 Votes) 0

    Starring: Jude Law, Natalie Portman, Julia Roberts

    Director: Mike Nichols

    Running Time: 104 mins


    Closer is an American film following the relationships of two couples whose lives turn upside down when they begin to intertwine.

    As nasty and emotionally painful this film is, I thought Closer was absolutely fantastic. An unorthodox romantic drama that looks at love from a very raw, dark perspective, but it’s a story that had me mesmerised from start to finish, not least thanks to Mike Nichols’ brilliant directing and four stunning central performances.

    And it’s those performances that are by far what struck me most about Closer. Jude Law, Julia Roberts, Natalie Portman and Clive Owen are all great actors, but all of their turns in this film are astonishing. Taking on four incredibly complex and diverse characters, the leads do an incredible job of making their personas so relatable on screen, meaning that when it comes to the emotional power of the film, it hits home even harder.

    Although I’m still not fully clear as to what the truth behind each of the characters’ actions in this film were (something that I think was beautifully left open to interpretation), it was the incredible performances that allowed me to care so much about what was happening. The relationships in this brutal love ‘rectangle’ are so complicated and full of deceit that it was impossible to really get to the bottom of everything, but thanks to the four stunning performances, I was able to form such a strong emotional connection with each of the characters.

    That’s where Mike Nichols’ directing adds just that little bit more to making this film truly fantastic. Again, with such a vague plot, it was more often than not impossible to really understand the characters, but Nichols directs the film in such a beautifully atmospheric way, making the characters’ relationships appear so fragile and important, that I was absolutely enthralled right the way through this film.

    With regards to the plot itself, I thought it was absolutely ingenious, if not seriously complicated. What I was most impressed by, however, is the bizarre way that the story progresses through time. Sometimes, weeks and months pass between scenes, without you ever being told, and some of the characters’ standings in their relationships have changed dramatically. That quick movement between periods of the story is an example of brilliant directing and editing, as it hugely ups the drama of the situation, reinforcing often how fickle or shallow some people can be when dealing with these relationships, which I absolutely loved.

    Overall, I was hugely impressed by Closer. I may still not have got fully to grips with it, something that many rewatches will hopefully allow me to do, but the fact that it’s such an emotionally powerful and brutal love story that kept me fully engrossed from start to finish, also thanks to the incredible acting and directing, means that I would be delighted to give this another watch any time soon, and that’s why it gets an 8.3 from me.

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    The Mad Movie Man
    • Website
    • Facebook
    • Twitter

    The Mad Movie Man, AKA Anthony Cullen, writes articles and reviews about movies and the world of cinema. From January 1st, 2013 to December 31st, 2022, he watched and reviewed a movie every day. This is the blog dedicated to the project: www.madmovieman.com

    Related Posts

    8.2

    4000. Scenes From A Marriage (1973)

    7.8

    3999. The Pianist (2002)

    8.2

    3998. Philadelphia (1993)

    Follow Me Online!
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    • Tumblr
    New Releases
    8.2
    December 25, 2022

    3994. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022)

    5.6
    December 10, 2022

    3969. Falling For Christmas (2022)

    6.9
    December 4, 2022

    3956. The People We Hate At The Wedding (2022)

    5.4
    December 3, 2022

    3954. Disenchanted (2022)

    7.4
    December 3, 2022

    3953. Meet Cute (2022)

    7.6
    November 23, 2022

    3934. Do Revenge (2022)

    7.0
    November 18, 2022

    3929. The Wonder (2022)

    6.7
    November 13, 2022

    3924. See How They Run (2022)

    Recommended Movies
    8.1
    Review
    January 18, 20150

    822. In The Heat Of The Night (1967)

    8.2
    Review
    December 11, 20130

    379. Life Is Beautiful (1997)

    8.3
    Review
    January 4, 20140

    405. Apocalypse Now (1979)

    9.1
    Review
    January 12, 20160

    1214. Monsters, Inc. (2001)

    8.4
    Review
    September 27, 20130

    298. The Prestige (2006)

    Popular Posts
    December 31, 2022

    Thank You

    8.2
    December 31, 2022

    4000. Scenes From A Marriage (1973)

    7.8
    December 30, 2022

    3999. The Pianist (2002)

    8.2
    December 29, 2022

    3998. Philadelphia (1993)

    7.5
    December 28, 2022

    3997. Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975)

    9.1
    December 27, 2022

    3996. The Green Mile (1999)

    7.6
    December 26, 2022

    3995. Doctor Zhivago (1965)

    © 2023 ThemeSphere. Designed by ThemeSphere.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.