Rating: 
Summary: Worst movie I have ever seen
Review: This was by far one of the worst movies I have ever seen. Nicholas Cage usually does a great job, but his attempt at an Italian accent in this movie is just horrific. Penelope Cruz gave her usual terrible performance.Save your time and money and stare at the wall.
Rating: 
Summary: Like Watching Paint Dry
Review: Although I'm generally unimpressed by Nicolas Cage in any movie he's featured in, I always take the time to give any movie that's based in Europe a shot, in the hope that I might be blown away by some phenomenal cinematography--which in this case was handled by John Toll of "Braveheart" fame. I was disappointed in every regard. Regarding the acting, most of the leads play like TV actors; walking through their parts, and certainly failing to deliver any sense of chemistry. You just never buy Christian Bale as a Greek, or Nicholas Cage as ANY kind of Italian. Penelope Cruz barely holds her own, but you'd think even drawing from her Hispanic roots she'd be able to draw upon some kind of passion, but it never happens. The exception is of course, John Hurt, who never fails to be less than superb. You get the sense very early on that this could have been a GREAT foreign film with unknown Greek, Italian, and German actors playing their respective parts. They certainly would have put more than their paycheques on the line. Cephallonia is a beautiful island, but very rarely do you get any sense of this--for a better film on Greek cinematography, check out "Mediterraneo". For a better romantic drama, the list is endless. And at a hundred and twenty-seven minutes, that's at least fifteen minutes too long, and it feels like it.
Rating: 
Summary: This is a guy-friendly chick flick
Review: Topless girls on a European Beach, Fighting war scenes, hey I was actually able to tell my date what happened.
Rating: 
Summary: A war movie without war
Review: After Nicolas Cage made 'Gone In 60 Seconds' and 'The Family Man', you'd expect his next movie to be not quite as good. But 'Captain Corelli's Mandolin' is certainly a decent film. Although it's not as enjoyable as the above mentioned two, it still has its high points. Penélope Cruz co-stars with Cage (Captain Corelli), who is attracted to Cruz (Pelagia). And even though she is engaged, her fiance Mandras (Christian Bale) is a fighter; therefore she's left alone and in need of attention. And the fact that Corelli is Italian and Pelagia is Greek doesn't make things easier. As you can imagine, they do end up falling in love. But that love is on the brink, due to the fact that Pelagia's husband to be is on his way back, and an attack from the Germans is about to get underway. And when I say it's a war movie without war, I mean there's not much fighting going on. It's not at all like 'Windtalkers', Nicolas Cage's latest film. It's a different sort of war movie; it's torn between the idea of being a war movie and a romance story. I don't want to spoil any more of the movie, so I'll leave it at that. Director John Madden does a great job with the cast, and makes a movie I believe is better than his hit 'Shakespeare In Love'. The reason I ever bothered to rent this movie is because of Nicolas Cage, of who I am a big fan. And I was not disappointed with his performance or the quality of the movie. As it's hard to categorize this film as either a war or romance film, I recommend it to anyone who enjoys one or the other (or both, for that matter). And if you're a Nicolas Cage fan, you need to check out his acting performance; it's incomparable to any other role he's played.
Rating:
Summary: Bravo! Nicolas Cage
Review: Nicolas Cage was brilliant throughout this movie. He brought a sense of playfulness to the character which gave a "lightness" to the film. Even though I think Penelope Cruz is not the greatest actress for this part, she did look and sound the part very convincingly. The Greek dancing and music was excellent as was the Italian singing. I enjoyed that very much. The chemistry between Nic and Penelope was definitely there and wonderfully acted. I loved the movie and think it a must see for anyone who loves romance.
Rating: 
Summary: Viva Italia, But Italians Still lose!
Review: This scenic movie combines loose history and romance. Having not read the book I can not be critical of it on that level, though I'm sure changes were made that would upset readers. The scenery and filming are beautiful, and these are the real strengths of the work in my opinion. If you can survive Nicholas Cage's weak Italian accent, then chances are you will find this flick enjoyable. I did, even though I had to wince every time Cage tried his stage Italian. Still, his character manages to grow on you after a while somehow, and Ms. Cruz, while not Greek herself (Mexican I think) still manages to look and sound the part. Having American actors play foreigners seems always to be problematical these days. William Hurt's moving narration gives a lot of humor and warmth to this film. His words give the movie a sense of passing time, which combined with the beautiful scenery deffinitely convey a saga spanning many years. The German intervention against the Italians is probably the best part of the movie and the most interesting. I can't comment on how accurate this is as far as the history goes, but at least its well done. The Sturkas, halftracks and even the German Hetzer assault gun are all accurately depicted weapons. You might wine about this being a weepy romance, but the production value was supurb. Someone really did their research to portray correct equipment here and I give any WW2 era movie credit for that! Overall, something for everyone here. A dropy romance for the ladies, and tanks and Stukha's for the guys! Not a bad combo. Just try and keep a straight face with Cage and his operatic singing! DVD version I had was defective in some of its features.
Rating:
Summary: good story, fine acting
Review: The movie has fine acting by Nicholas Cage and Penelope Cruz. I enjoyed it very much. Follows the book fairly well. Nice romantic story.
Rating:
Summary: Dazzling, Beautiful, Believable??? I think not!!!
Review: Dazzling, Beautiful, Believable??? I think not!!! I found this film to be boring, slow, and painful to watch. I picked it up thinking it would be a great Sunday afternoon flick. Boy was I wrong!!! Nicholas Cage as an Italian soldier??? Please!!! It is an insult to those of us who are indeed of Italian heritage to see such an actor portray this role. His performance was not believable nor was his dialect. Cage could and should have been better prepared for this role. As for Penelope Cruz, I think having been supported by a lead actor who was more suited for this role would have made this a phenomenal picture. Overall, I was bored with this picture and would not recommend to anyone. It's definetly a sleeper.
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding!
Review: Great movie. The acting, the scenery, the story line, and the music were all excellently put together to create unmistakable emotions! Nicolas Cage and Penelop Cruz were almost competing each other in their excellency! Do you want a good movie to boost you up to cry, to hope, to meditate and to foster your love for your love one, then go for this one.
Very good work!
Rating:
Summary: Unusually Fantastic Movie
Review: This movie is great. The acting is great, the story line is great, and the actors are great. I laughed I cried and I enjoyed the movie more than anyother movie. There are many movies about war but this movie is the best. It shows all the things that were terrible about the war and it shows the cold heartness of the Nazi's. Nicolas Cage shows off his acting skills in the movie and changes his accent while Penelope Cruz looks beautiful and puts on an excellent preformance. This movie is like Titanic meets the Patriot. I reccommend that you buy the movie or at least rent it because I promise you that you will NOT regret it!
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