Cubussoli Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

ThiefHott Too much of everything

GazerRise Fantastic!

Geraldine The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

l_rawjalaurence On the face of it, THE LADY has a lot going for it. Filmed mostly in Thailand, it tells the story of Aung San Suu Kyi's (Michelle Yeoh's) progress from happily married homemaker in Oxford, England, to the leader of the democracy movement in Burma (Myanmar) imprisoned by the military for fifteen years. The transition is not an easy one: the authorities try to make Suu's life as difficult as possible, by denying her freedom of movement and preventing her husband Michael (David Thewlis) from visiting her in Burman, even when he is dying with prostate cancer. Yeoh delivers a first-rate performance; her face remains expressionless in public, especially while confronting the generals and their lackeys who try every single strategy they can think of to break her down. Luc Besson's direction is both taut yet hard- edged; his handling of the crowd-scenes is especially good, particularly in the sequence where Suu addresses a band of pro-democracy demonstrators, but does not see the authorities taking off some of the demonstrators to prison at the back of the gathering. The scene where Suu wins the election, and her supporters gather at the gates of her house, only to be repelled by gun-toting soldiers, is also memorable. Yet the film as a whole is let down by Rebecca Frayn's clunky script, which is notable for its clichéd scenes - as, for example, when younger son Kim Aris (Jonathan Raggett) crawls into his father's arms at their Oxford home and says "I miss mum." Frayn's characterization of Suu is perfunctory: we get little sense of why she became such a celebrated figure resisting the military dictatorship, or what her politics actually were. The script is far more concerned with revealing her enduring love for her husband. As a result the film tends to focus on the minutiae of their domestic life rather than explaining the niceties of Burmese politics. Maybe that was not Besson's intention, but it might have made for a more intriguing film.

gradyharp Despite the flaws in this dramatized biopic of Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi - far too long at 132 minutes, more emphasis on a family drama than an important change in Burma to Myanmar, etc - this film as written by Rebecca Frayn and directed by Luc Beeson (Taken, Transporter, La Femme Nikita, etc) deserves our attention in that it helps explain the volatile situation that existed in Burma from 1947 to the present. In brief it is the story of Aung San Suu Kyi as she becomes the core of Burma's democracy movement, and her relationship with her husband, Oxford professor and writer Michael Aris.Opening in 1947 we meet Aung San Suu Kyi as a child bidding farewell to her father, General Aung San, a hero of the Burmese democratic movement, who is then assassinated. Aung San Suu Kyi (Michelle Leoh) escapes to England, matures, marries an Oxford professor Michael (David Thewlis) and has two sons (Jonathan Raggett and Jonathan Woodhouse). The film then jumps to 1988 when, due to the fact that her mother is critically ill, Suu Kyi returns to Burma to care for her mother; once there she observes the student protests to the military regime headed by a dummy superstitious dictator, and as the heir to her father's fame in the country as a leader of the people she decides to stay and follow the encouragement of the protesters to be their leader. That decision places here in danger and eventual house arrest, and with the love of her husband and children as support she stays the course and becomes the leader of the democratic movement of the country now called Myanmar. The commitment to her cause by her husband (who discovers in Suu Kyi's absence that he has prostate cancer and a limited life span) offers her strength and she gains world attention when she is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991.THE LADY is more an epic love story about how an extraordinary couple and family sacrifice their happiness at great human cost for a higher cause than it is a full study of the persona of Aung San Suu Kyi Much is missing, especially the period in Burma from 1947 to 1988, and the maturing of Suu Kyi into a hero. But the film does emphasize the peaceful quest of the woman who is at the core of Burma's democracy movement and the indomitable love relationship and strength of marriage and family due to their undying support of her mission. Michelle Yeoh and David Thewlis are excellent and the film has touches of beauty that are memorable (as Suu Kyi listens on a portable radio to the Nobel Prize speech read by her son the music that is so much a part of Suu Kyi's life is her playing of the Pachelbel Canon accompanied by a small orchestra over a distance of thousands of miles). It is a touching tribute to a great lady of peace. Grady Hap

c-britanico I personally like biopics & this one was very helpful in giving me a glimpse of what's happening in Burma. Much has been said about the fight for liberty in this country as well as about the fierceness of Suu Kyi & watching this film made me more interested with how our counterparts in Burma are working towards their full liberation.Suu Kyi's situation reminds me of our very own, Cory Aquino, who herself was an icon of democracy.The movie gave me an insight of Suu Kyi's struggles & sacrifices just like Mrs. Aquino herself. One thing that the movie did is for viewers to appreciate the liberty we currently have & the closeness we will feel to Suu Kyi.Great acting chops for Michelle Yeoh & David Thewlis. I wonder why they were not even nominated for an Oscar. Magnificent cinematography too.A highly recommended film.

phd_travel With such a fascinating subject matter this movie would have been an interesting watch no matter who directed it but I think Luc Besson did a good job showing he is more than just an action thriller director. Of course there are some violent parts showing the brutality of the Military that are in your face and exciting as expected. He handled the private woman and her personal sacrifice and bravery in a tasteful manner.Michelle Yeoh does a brilliant job. It's a really good fit for her. She is good in both the intimate moments dealing with her family and in her dignified public persona. She deserves an acting nomination for her work. David Thewlis is well cast as a disheveled looking professor type.The subtitles are a major part of the movie with lots of dialog in Burmese. But it's still easy to follow the plot which doesn't jump around too much and is well laid out. It deserves a place among the better political true life movies. While not as dramatic or gut wrenching as "Cry Freedom" or "the Killing Fields", it still delivers a powerful message. Those interested can also watch "Beyond Rangoon" with Patricia Arquette which is a more adventure style portrayal of the events in Burma.Wish the movie could have shown more recent events including her recent release. Reminds us there is still a long way to go in Burma.Touching and a must watch.