Rating: 
Summary: A Film For Film Students Only
Review: Lars von Trier made this film, his first, before his masterpiece, "Zentropa" (known as "Europa" also). I saw "Zentropa" before seeing this film so this film was a disappointment to me. You can see him working with many of the same ideas and concepts that he would ultimately use in "Zentropa" in this film. If you are a film student and want to see an artist's growth from sketching out an idea (this film) to fully realizing his idea ("Zentropa"), then you might want to see this film. If you are studying an artist's work, frequently it is just as useful to study their mistakes as their successes. For the non-film student, however, the film merely offers some interesting possibilities and ideas. Invest your money in finding a copy or screening of "Zentropa" instead is my advice.
Rating: 
Summary: Not Just Pretty To Look At
Review: Lars von Trier's debut film may be a bit arty for some but can be quite fullfiling if you have the patience. The story of Fischer, a cop who seems to be solving a string of murders using a kind of "method" investigating, is told as if it were a dream. The dream motif is a simple device that allows von Trier to make the entire film dark and dreary. Deeply saturated browns and reds are nearly the only color in the film and give it a feeling not unlike Blade Runner. Some have argued that von Trier is heavily influenced by science fiction but this leads me to wonder where else this influence appears in his work?
What I find less than great about this film is it's slow meandering plot and the absence of tradgedy or anguish that marks von Trier's latter and more inspired work.
A good documentary about von Trier is included on the DVD.
Rating:
Summary: Not Just Pretty To Look At
Review: Lars von Trier's debut film may be a bit arty for some but can be quite fullfiling if you have the patience. The story of Fischer, a cop who seems to be solving a string of murders using a kind of "method" investigating, is told as if it were a dream. The dream motif is a simple device that allows von Trier to make the entire film dark and dreary. Deeply saturated browns and reds are nearly the only color in the film and give it a feeling not unlike Blade Runner. Some have argued that von Trier is heavily influenced by science fiction but this leads me to wonder where else this influence appears in his work?
What I find less than great about this film is it's slow meandering plot and the absence of tradgedy or anguish that marks von Trier's latter and more inspired work.
A good documentary about von Trier is included on the DVD.
Rating: 
Summary: The greatest film of all time
Review: Lars Von Trier's directorial debut is a spellbinding and shockingly adept realization of post-structuralist narrative themes, flawlessly written and illuminated with stunning cinematography. The director's later films are all good, but they don't justify the seemingly infinite potential of this brilliant first effort.
Rating:
Summary: enh ruute, ennh ruute!
Review: of all the film i've seen, this film stands at #1, though i'm quite indifferent to lars von trier in general as a filmmaker, he's done it on celluloid folks, notice the move to the digital format.the film is an exploration of (1)madness and (2)the shadow, under hypnosis a police detective reverts back to a case 13yrs back involving the lotto murders in an unnamed post-apocalyptic european ciy, where he uses a technique drawn out in a book called the element of crime, involving the investigator coming to assume the mindset of the killer, a man by the name of harry gray, suspected of subversive activities. it gets thicker. there is meaning behind the malice, truly.
Rating: 
Summary: unbearable
Review: One of the worst movies I have ever seen. I seldom take a movie out of my DVD player without seeing the end...This was one of them
Rating:
Summary: A Must for Von Trier Fans
Review: Original, cutting edge, and riveting. All what you'd expect from this film pioneer that breaks all the rules to redefine modern cinema. Love him or hate him, he's a breath of fresh air in the stale state of current self-absorbed, independent films, not to mention the never ending studpiditiy of Hollywood rehash. One can't help but compare this title to "Blade Runner", though I believe it makes Ridely Scotts film look like a Disney movie. Cross references throughout include homage to "Apocalypse Now", with equal success at capturing the creepy feel of great film noir classics such as "The Big Sleep". Von Trier creates a whole new world with nothing less then amazing sets and locations. One can only guess where or how he came up wiht these sites. No doubt Von Trier is to current cinema what David Lynch was to film in the 80's. It seems to all come easy to him, but thats just what'd you'd expect from such a great master who's still far ahead of his time.
Rating:
Summary: The first major groundbreaking picture by Lars von Trier
Review: This incredible movie paints a picture of a deteriorating Europe through the eyes of a cop. The cinematography pre-dates the '90s dogme movement that Lars von Trier also established, but even this first major picture by this leading director shows how to use cinematography for maximum impact: The film has a yellow tint that further enhances the experience of a deranged, sad, lonely Europe. Though Lars von Trier is Danish, the movie is done in English, so it should have wider appeal -- check it out! I saw it for the first time 15 years ago, and I've anxiously been awaiting the DVD release of this ground-breaking movie!
Rating:
Summary: 5 star DVD edition
Review: This movie should only be seen on a high definiton TV or a PC. Video transfer is amazing! It's not that faces are just clearly seen, it's the colors that amaze me. The Director tried to show imaginary, nightmarish post-apocalyptic world using "shades of sepia, with occasional, startling flashes of bright blue". He did an excellent job. In my opinion movies should show a viewer something he or she never saw before, the world he or she never been to. I think that's the main point of this movie and the DVD shows the version of it as close to the Director's vision as possible. I refer to Criterion Collection DVD edition.
Rating:
Summary: 5 star DVD edition
Review: This movie should only be seen on high definiton TV's or a PC. Video transfer is amazing! It's not that faces are just clearly seen, it's the colors that amaze me. The Director tried to show imaginary, nightmarish post-apocalyptic world using "shades of sepia, with occasional, startling flashes of bright blue". He did an excellent job. In my opinion movies should show a viewer something he or she never saw before, the world he or she never been to. I think that's the main point of this movie and the DVD shows the version of it as close to the Director's vision as possible. I refer to Criterion Collection DVD edition.
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