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Blackmail, Murder & Mayhem

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Killing Zoe

Killing Zoe

List Price: $14.98
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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Has flaws, but I love it anyway
Review: I'm giving this film 5 stars despite some small things some folks would consider flaws in the film. I am still giving it 5 stars because it happens to be a film I keep watching over and over again, and I never get tired of a single scene in the whole flick.
Jean-Hughes Anglade and Eric Stoltz are perfect together as old childhood friends out to rob a Federal bank in France on Bastille Day.
Here are the reasons why I love this movie. It really has a lot packed into it. It has a ton of humor, though much of it is dark humor. The extended drug use scene and tour of Paris must be about as close as you can come to honestly portraying being high on film. The pace of the action never slows down, and each scene consistently draws me in. There are a whole bunch of little original ideas and surprises thrown in that makes the film always interesting.
Memorable moments: the dead cat in the hallway, "riding the dragon", the monkey and Billie Holiday, viking films, Ron Jeremy, the ex-con joke, Eric pondering the next move.....
If you like anything by Tarantino, then you owe it to yourself to check this out. Honestly, I come back to watch this far more often than I do anything by QT.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Add This To Your Collection!!!
Review: This bold and sexy crime thriller reminds me of the raw script and visuals of "Natural Born Killers". Though you may squirm in your seats (or opt to pace the room) while you watch this unnerving drama, it is a sober reminder that there are people out there that have no respect for life and limb. Eric Stoltz, Jean-Hugues Anglade and Julie Delpy (as Zoe) are awesome. The title does no justice to this film...though Zoe is the thread that keeps it alive...emotional...entrancing...and sexy. It is raw and unsettling. I first saw this on cable. I bought the DVD and the picture quality and sound was enhanced 200%. I hate to give away storylines...just as much as I hate to read about storylines before I watch a flick. So I won't. If you like crime films...flims that set the stage for the perfect crime and follow through with those plans to the very finish..."Killing Zoe" is for you. It's definitely a killer. Don't rent it...BUY IT! You'll watch it over and over again.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Killer Movie
Review: Killing Zoe is one of the best, if not the best bank robbing movies ever! There are many memorable lines, and characters. ...Julie Delpy is an absolute hottie! It sure helps out when she can speak french. Oh la la. About half the dialogue is in French which helps you get into the movie as well as the characters. (believe it or not.) The movie is made by the same people who "brought you" pulp fiction and resevoir dogs. But you know what, that shouldn't be the only reason to pick up this dvd, c'mon man, the movie is just so entertaining. The movie is on the same level as resevoir dogs and pulp fiction, if not better. (It wasn't directed by Tarrentino). All the characters in the movie are fun to watch. Each character has at least one line they say that you probably will be repeating tomorrow. Great writing often makes great movies. And great writing is what this movie has. Killing Zoe just oozes out that coolness. The DVD has no deleted scenes, out takes or any of that extra stuff really, but this movie is still a definite must own.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Better than Reservoir Dogs
Review: Roger Avary is the true talent behind Quentin Tarantino (at least according to NBK producer Jane Hamsher) and his first solo job is impressive, if a bit slow. The main heist doesn't really get going until the halfway point. But it's really a character study, anyway.

Zed (Eric Stoltz) is called by Parisian buddy Eric (Jean-Hugues Anglade) to help him break into a reserve bank vault on Bastille Day, one of the few banks open on that day.

Zed falls for a student/escort supplied to him through a cab driver, takes several recreational drugs with Eric and his friends (including Spandau Ballet's Gary Kemp), and wakes up the next morning, not quite ready for the job. The job keeps Zed downstairs surrounded by the noise of the drill, so he never notices that things go very wrong.

And who happens to have a part-time job at the bank?

Avary is quoted as saying that producer Lawrence Bender (Pulp Fiction) called him up and said he had a bank set free for a few weeks, did he have a script involving a bank he wanted to film? Avary said yes, he did. Then he wrote one...this.

Comparisons to Reservoir Dogs are inescapable (even on the video box), but the two films are very different, although similarly dark in tone. I think this one is actually better.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: cult classic
Review: This is one of the best movies I have ever seen. I have seen all those movies written, produced, or directed by Tarantino and they are all great. However, I am impressed with this one the most. It is definitely the best bank robbery film ever made. There are some very shocking scenes that are totally awesome. check it out

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Killing people, killing Zoe, killing yourself
Review: Killing Zoe can be compared to Reservoir Dogs or Pulp Fiction...but, after a second view of the film, I realized that I had been wrong. It is different from Pulp Fiction in the way that it keeps itself serious, and after all, that's a very good thing, because it doesn't have all the pretention to put crude vulgarity and violence with such a commercial touch of humor. Pulp Fiction makes violence look cool, with all the seventies' look and stupid jokes. But Killing Zoe is realistic..."spoilers warning" There is that strong and intense scene of drug abuse, which shows the exact pictures of a bad trip. The violence is more intense, and more horrible, which gives a sense to the film where a Tarantino film could never go. I admit that Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs had more development of various characters, but Killing Zoe is focussing on one particular guy, and that guy is more interesting than any character in a Tarantino movie. In my first view of the film, I thought it was absolutely stupid that Zoe was not so important in the story, because the title says "Killing Zoe"...that's not an appropriate title, but if you read this before watching the film, don't follow Zoe's character, follow Eric's. The acting is awesome, especially from Jean-Hugues Anglade, who plays the maniac junkie who doesn't care about anything, and who's ready to die anytime. I would even say he's a touching character. And the scene where he dies is just perfect, and beautiful, it's a magical piece of acting from Mr.Anglade. Every scene of the film is intense, and was made with care and originality. The tragedy and the insanity is really there, and you can feel it very well. The directing is great, and the mood is awesome! If you liked this and you are from Quebec, see Quiconque Meurt, Meurt À Douleur...Killing Zoe is very good.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: violent = fun
Review: People are complaining about this movie because it wasn't"thought provoking". Like so many other people, I enjoy watching films that stimulate my mind, and actually give me some type of knowledge by the end. But everyonce in awhile, I like to watch nothing but pure, simple violence and sex...this movie provided just that. If you haven't seen it yet, and you've read the reviews, you already know the basic plot. See it anyway if you like alot of senseless violence, blood, drug use, demented humor and Julie Delphy nake. This movie is junk food for your head, and everyone likes junk food everyonce in awhile...unless you're a complete tighta$$. Good ACTION movie, it also has a unique soundtrack

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: That's What The Last Guy Said
Review: Movie Summary: Zed comes to Paris at the invitation of his old friend Eric with whom he used to rob convenience stores. While he is waiting at the hotel to meet Eric, he hooks up with student call girl Zoe. When Eric arrives, he pulls Zoe out of the shower and throws her into the hall naked. Eric and Zed then go on a drug binge with Eric's criminal buddies. The next day they rob a bank and Eric goes insane.

My Opinion: The production notes tell the story of how a director found this cool bank in Los Angeles that he thought would be perfect for a movie. He called around to see if anyone had a script for such a movie. Roger Avary said he did. After hanging up the phone, he hurriedly wrote one. For me this explained everything. Had he taken some time with the script, things might have been different. The long drug binge in the beginning of the movie is terrible. I don't care if it's supposed to show the chaotic mind of Eric or whatever. I didn't like it. As for the main bank robbery portion of the movie, there was nothing new or inventive. The violence was without reason and over the top. Things like dirty jokes seemed to be just thrown in to make the movie longer. It was like watching Pulp Fiction with all the humor and intelligence removed. Jean-Hugues Anglade does put in a good performance, but it is in a losing effort. I had a hard time buying Eric Stoltz as a hardened bank robber and the very attractive Julie Delpy as a desperate call girl willing to risk everything for a criminal she met only hours before. Chalk this one up as direct to video quality and move on.

DVD Quality: Widescreen anamorphic - 1.85:1 DD2.0 Picture quality was good. Extras include trailer, cast bios, and production notes.

What You Should Do: See it only if you are really into violent drug crazed bank robbery movies. I don't think there are many of those though.

Related Movies To Check Out: Pulp Fiction, Dog Day Afternoon, Point Break, Die Hard

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Strange but compelling
Review: This has been a long-time favorite movie of mine... it's visual style and frantic pace provide a good movie experience without ever going over the top and becoming completely unbelievable. While never becoming completely detached from reality, the movie does provide some euphoric moments... dream-like sex scenes, and drug-induced trance sequences set the mood for the bank robbery that the story revolves around. Comparisons to Tarntino could also be made, as Killing Zoe shares much of his gritty realistic view of criminals and the environment they live in. Highly recommended; for the price this is a must-own DVD.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: THE FRENCH PULL A HEIST
Review: WITHIN THE SENSELESS, MANIC BLOODLETTING IN THIS FILM I ALSO DETECT A PLAY ON FRENCH STEREOTYPES; NAMELY, THEY ARE NOT TOO SMART, ARROGANT, AND ABOVE ALL, INCOMPETENT. ARE WE TO BELIEVE THAT THE BANK MANAGER, WHO DOESN'T SEEM TOO BRIGHT, WOULD ALLOW AN INNOCENT EMPLOYEE TO BE MURDERED BECAUSE HE JUST CAN'T GET HIMSELF TO LET THE DRUG-SOAKED KILLERS INTO THE BANK VAULT? SURELY A DUMB KIND OF LOYALTY, OR PERHAPS HE WAS JUST AFRAID OF THE REPURCUSSIONS THAT MIGHT FOLLOW FROM HIS APPARENTLY CRUEL SUPERIORS SHOULD HE PERFORM AN ELEMENTARY ACT OF KINDNESS. IN A SENSE, HE IS RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL THAT FOLLOWS, ALTHOUGH WITHOUT HIS STUPIDITY WE WOULDN'T HAVE A MOVIE; ARE ERIC AND HIS GANG OF DIMWITS SO ARROGANT THAT THEY WOULD BOAST OF THEIR LACK OF PLANNING? IN FACT, ZED, THE AMERICAN IN PARIS, SEEMS AMAZED BY THE BLOODY AND INCOMPETENT BLUNDERING OF HIS COMPANIONS. I WAS RELIEVED TO SEE HIM FINALLY GET AWAY FROM THE BUNCH, THANKS TO THE HEART OF GOLD PROSTITUTE (ALTHOUGH WE ARE TOLD THAT SHE'S NOT REALLY ONE), AND HOPEFULLY EVENTUALLY BACK TO THE STATES AND SENSIBILITY.


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