Spidersecu Don't Believe the Hype

Console best movie i've ever seen.

Kaydan Christian A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

Philippa All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Rockwell_Cronenberg In watching The Robber, I couldn't help but notice the similarities to this year's Drive. You don't have the blood and cotton candy aesthetic that Refn so expertly delivered that made the latter film really sing, but the titular character is a similar blank state and this story also plays out in a muted way that lets the action do most of the talking instead of the characters. Which sometimes and works and sometimes doesn't. The action scenes are intense and feel really authentic and as we start to get a better understanding of the character, the piece really starts to do some work.My problem is that we never properly get inside the head of this character, a similar problem that I had with Drive. We get his motivation and the final stretch of the film is tragic and beautiful because of that, but I felt that the whole thing would have been a lot more impressive if I was given an opportunity to emotionally connect with the main character. Unfortunately, the film never allows me to do this because he's presented in such a blank, unemotional light that it becomes more about the ideas than the person. Which is all well and good and the film is certainly impressive, but it holds it back from being something that I could put all of my praise behind and without that wildly unique style that Refn created with his film, this similar project doesn't compare too much.Still, there's a lot to admire here and aside from the action pieces I really admired the lead performance from Andreas Lust, who was aces in a devastating role in 2009's Revanche. Here he isn't given a lot to work with as an actor, but he commands the screen and presents a character who you simultaneously want to know more about and want to run and hide from. He's fascinating and intimidating, but part of you stands on his side. I just wish I had connected enough so that all of me could be with him.

Ben Larson I have always found runners and cyclists to be a strange lot. Why would they devote hours of their time to sweating except to get some kind of a rush similar to drug addicts?This film shows that life clearly, as Johann (Andreas Lust) gets out of prison and, rather than seek a life of fame and glory as a long distance runner and settle down with a woman who loves him, he pursues a life of crime. He is seeking the same or a higher rush that he gets from running.He doesn't quit running, but uses it to aid in stealing. It's never about money, as we never see him spend any. He just stores thousands of Euros under his bed. He even maintains a blank look as Erika (Franziska Weisz) tries to get some emotion out of him. His life is wrapped up in the rush he gets from stealing.Both primary actors gave very good performances in a film that had you on the edge as time ran out for Johann.

waysmi (If you want a summary of the film, read anybody else here.) Despite the activities shown, the film abounds in "still waters." The presentation of activities and the principal character sticks solely to the surface without any explanations. The film is enigmatic and compelling, perhaps even boring to some. Any people seeing this together will have much to discuss afterwards.Anyone seeing it will come in knowing the robber is a runner since that is the basis for all the advertising. I'm no runner and usually not very interested but this was especially fascinating. The actor Lust portrays the title character in a beautifully minimalist performance and also gives the footwork a distinctive style. I don't know if it would win races but it sure works in this film.Acting and all aspects of the filmmaking are excellent overall. Even the music for the end credits is good for emerging from the deep waters.

Davor Blazevic Austrian-German co-production, Der Räuber (The Robber, 2010), based on the real events, tells the story about the long-distance runner, who could've lived a decent life, having a loving and caring girlfriend, a solid place to stay, and an extraordinary talent for long-distance running that he could've easily made a good living on, but instead, he additionally specializes and excels in bank robbing, becoming an addict of such an unusual activity for no other obvious reason but for possible "beauty of a criminal campaign" and adrenaline rush received along. (He's hinted times and again that he couldn't have cared less about the stolen money itself, by jamming it into black rubbish plastic bags, as if he was going to trash it.) One of those life stories that you cannot help but get unpleasantly amazed with how all the reasonable prerequisites for a good life, though inexplicably, yet seemingly so unnecessarily, get flushed down the drain, apparently faithfully presented in the movie with understandable, ergo acceptable lack of intention to ease the answers to the hard whys.