Following

1999 "You're never alone."
7.5| 1h9m| R| en| More Info
Released: 02 April 1999 Released
Producted By: Syncopy
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website: https://www.nextwavefilms.com/following/index.html
Synopsis

Bill, an idle, unemployed aspiring writer, walks the crowded streets of London following randomly chosen strangers, a seemingly innocent entertainment that becomes dangerous when he crosses paths with a mysterious character.

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Reviews

Clevercell Very disappointing...
Wordiezett So much average
Odelecol Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.
Portia Hilton Blistering performances.
Kmb_the_Nepali_reviewer A debut movie of a great filmmaker is either a stinker ("Alien 3", David Fincher) or a statement that he is there to stay. ("Reservoir Dogs", Quentin Tarantino and "Following", Christopher Nolan). "Following" is a very well made film, considering the circumstances under which it was made. The film is, in fact, a rulebook or a template of future Nolan films. Most of his future movies can be found in "Following" in the sense that most of his future movies have - broken timeline and non linear storytelling making the movie more thrilling, crime or criminal-ish adventure, manipulation of people and a surprising reveal, that's either mindblowing or in the case of "The Dark Knight Rises" (2012), studio's insistence. This movie is a crime thriller. Keeping away the circumstances and knowing nothing about other Nolan films, it's very good. Not excellent, not great, but simply very good. The pacing of the story feels rushed. There is character development but the pacing is so quick that we do not have enough time to get invested in the characters. Some things about the protagonist are simply addressed in the story by the characters in it, rather than telling it dramatically. The fight scenes and some acts of violence are a bit poorly choreographed. However, the suspense was excellent and the twists were mind blowing. Consider now, that you have watched Nolan's other movies as well. The rushed pace was inevitable for a movie which wanted to deliver a lot, but had only an hour of runtime. The issues with fight scenes and acts of violence are still the same, however, we can get a clue of how things played out off screen when a character addresses something about the protagonist. It's like the future Nolan films made it better. If you've seen any of his future movies containing a theme of manipulation, it's quite easy to figure out. The awesomeness of the suspense and the twists are retained. At last, consider that you also know how this movie got made. Man! It was lucky even to see the day! A budget of $6000 during the 90s for British film? It's probably gonna be forgettable. It might not be as good as it was supposed to be if it got a made under favorable circumstances, but surely ain't forgettable. I don't find it appropriate myself, but this movie is a masterpiece - in the sense that an almost no budget flick was made to be so good! I have seen other almost no budget films like "A Fistful of Fingers" (1995 or so) made by Edgar Wright, and it was just plain bad for me. I would never watch such films ever again, except for this one and any other such film, if I find them in the future. It was my fifth Nolan movie. I watched all three of his Batman movies, and I absolutely loved the second one, the first one was excellent and the third one was just good. Then I watched "Memento" (2000) which made me a Nolan fan. But it was this movie that made me appreciate him as a filmmaker in the way I do today. Judging it in a plain manner, I would give it an "8/10" and an "A-". But, for the reasons explained in this review, it gets a special "10/10" and an "A+".
Brandin Lindsey Following is a 1998 black-and-white drama film with noir and thriller elements. Directed by Christopher Nolan, Following is a story about an unnamed, unemployed, struggling writer. This writer begins a hobby of following people around, watching their habits, and seeing what they do and where they go. One day, this somewhat innocent hobby brings the main character across the path of Cobb, a well-dressed and smooth-talking thief. The writer and Cobb begin an unhealthy relationship that involves examining people on a much deeper level: breaking into their homes and rifling through their belongings.Following is an extremely fascinating thriller that will hook you in from the beginning. Full of smart dialogue and fascinating characters, an emotional roller-coaster, a great story, and a surprise ending, this is truly a great film. I imagine the only viewers who would not enjoy this movie are those that don't have the attention span for a well-thought and plot- driven story. Otherwise, this film can be enjoyed by everyone and, in my opinion, ranks among the best noir films. Perhaps one of the best films overall.
SnoopyStyle The jobless protagonist recounts his story to an older man. He has been Shadowing or Following random strangers. One of his biggest rule is never follow the same person twice. He breaks that rule causing him his problem. Cobb confronts him for following him thinking initially he's a cop. Cobb is a burglar and soon, he pulls him into his voyeuristic world. They break into The Blonde's apartment and he becomes fascinated with her. He chats her up at her possessive boyfriend's bar. She tells him that her gangster boyfriend is blackmailing her with incriminating photos and he agrees to break into his safe to retrieve the photos. Unbeknownst to him, Cobb and The Blonde actually know each other.This is Christopher Nolan's low budget black-and-white indie. It has an interesting premise of a guy who follows people around. It intrigued me and so does Cobb. He's a weird magnetic character. Nolan is also playing with flash-forwards which actually distracts from the story. He figures out how to separate the timelines in Memento with color and black-and-white. In this movie, it confuses matters and disrupts the flow. The ending has a few convenient unlikely turns to make Cobb's scheme work. The movie starts off very well but gets a bit problematic.
tsakiridis1217 I love this film. Just calm, simple, strong filmmaking.Truth is that not many directors can make such a good movie with such a small budget. The story is original. The deeper you go in the movie, the more you start to recognize Nolans' signature. And while it may not be that spectacular, it is engaging and if you invest in it, you'll win. It surely captures the spirit of a less noisy, silent noir-film, than the great set-pieces of blockbusters. It's a confident and self-realized script executed really well.I guess that finding and watching this movie alone is a proof that you are probably a Nolan fan, so I trust that you'll enjoy it. But the man who is behind this picture is today one of the finest directors and screenwriters, so even if you are not a fan of these types of films, you have a reason to give it a shot.