The End of Violence
by Wim Wenders
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Andie MacDowell, Bill Pullman, K. Todd Freeman, Rosalind Chao, Traci LindDirector: Wim Wenders
DVD: 2 Sides, Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround; French (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround; Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled)
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, Full Screen, Letterboxed, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: Letterbox, 2.35:1
Running Time: 122 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2000-03-28
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
Movie Reviews of The End of Violence
Movie Review: Searching to Define the End of Violence
Summary: 4 Stars
I'm curiously drawn to movies which seem to be panned by the majority of working and amateur critics, yet are staunchly defended by a small coterie of reputable adherents. What is it that most so disdain and compels but a few? Case in point: The End of Violence -- 26% on Rotten Tomatoes' "tomatometer", just 10% on their "cream of the crop"; not to mention a very mediocre average 3-star rating here on Amazon and a mere 5.5 out of 10 on IMDb. Yet, it received a glowing review from Stephen Holden of the New York Times who writes: "...with 'The End of Violence' Mr. Wenders has made a film as resonant as his most memorable work." At the time I first read that I wouldn't have known Mr. Wenders from Mr. Pibb, but the die was cast -- I had to see this film!
The End of Violence effectively weaves the strands of two tenuously connected main storylines and a few intriguing subplots to culminate in a profound meditation on the effects (real, imagined, and potential) of unfettered government, entertainment, and technology. We experience this theme in the epiphanies of one of the film's two main protagonists: a successful independent "violent movie" producer named Mike Max (Bill Pullman) who loses wife, home, career, and nearly his life as a result of his chosen profession. We also see the theme's manifestation in the thoughts and actions of the other main protagonist: an ex-NASA software engineer named Ray (Gabriel Byrne), an ostensibly innocent overseer of a new state-of-the-art government surveillance system in Los Angeles who discovers that the apprehensions he once had concerning the system are being made frighteningly valid.
In lieu of a plot summary, I'll just say that I was thoroughly engaged from beginning to end. The two storylines bend, weave, and intersect in a compelling fashion with a few neat twists. However, as compelling a narrative and argument that the film puts forth, a nagging hole exists [PLOT SPOILER!]: Following his escape from the carjackers/kidnappers, how does Mike Max end up on the hillside where he's spotted by the Mexican gardeners? His Mercedes was left at the scene under the interchange; why didn't Mike drive off in it? If the surveillance system was so omnipresent, how was it possible for him to NOT be followed by the cameras? [END OF SPOILER]
The film is somewhat marred by Mike Max's noirish off-screen first person narration, the likes of which are the equivalent of an antecedent-consequent in music; e.g. "Sometimes those who you think are your friends are your enemies, and those you think are your enemies are your friends." Such lines are also present in some of the dialogue; e.g., the government bigwig says to Ray: "Watching the sky from Earth is easy; watching the Earth from the sky is difficult." For some reason, such lines feel like a copout meant to lend an intentional vagueness, which is irksome. The thoughtful whimsy of such lines are, however, consistent with the overall tone of the film.
Also, some of the acting leaves much to be desired; the doofus & goofus carjacking-kidnapping duo being the worst example. I'm not sure if this was meant as comic relief or not! Another example is Andie MacDowell as Mike Max's disaffected gun-toting wife in a livingroom tete-a-tete with her estranged husband---awful! Fortunately, the film can absorb these shortcomings; I dismiss them as mere diversions. Otherwise, the generally understated acting is quite consistently fine.
Among all the film's beautifully composed shots and staged scenes in and around L.A., the most poignant is a simple shot of Ray's aging father (Sam Fuller), alone in his study staring aimlessly at the camera following the film's jarring and sudden culmination. This one brief silent emotion-packed shot conveys so much that it's almost impossible to put into words. As to not spoil things for potential viewers, I won't even try.
The End of Violence invites thoughtful contemplation of serious issues in a very stylish (dare I say European?) manner. In that no one I know has heard of it, this film is shamefully overlooked. I must agree with Mr. Holden of the N.Y. Times; the film does indeed resonate. As for Mr. Wenders' "most memorable work", apparently Wings of Desire and Paris, Texas should be next on the viewing list.
P.S.: For those who care about such things, the DVD is dual-sided with full-screen and cropped wide-screen versions. The full-screen version displays discreet male frontal nudity.
Summary of The End of Violence
Celebrated director Wim Wenders (Wings of Desire) brings Bill Pullman, Andie MacDowell, and Gabriel Byrne together in an electrifying suspense-thriller that is an "audacious and seductive" (Los Angeles Times) tale of paranoia and murder that Gene Siskel calls "one of my favorite filmsof the year!" Manufacturing on-screen violence has created an entertainment empire for fast-lane Hollywood producer Mike Max (Pullman). But when Max comes into possession of details concerning a top-secret, anti-crime satellite surveillance system, the information turns this master of imaginary mayhem into a real-life victim. Escaping into L.A.'s shadowy underworld, Max is forced into a heart-stopping confrontation with forces beyond his comprehension and violence beyond his deadliest fictional creations. Is this the end of violence...or just the beginning?If Wim Wenders falls prey to overambition in this sprawling story of identity, conscience, and voyeurism in modern Los Angeles, it pays off in a richness absent from so many of Hollywood's safe, sterile films. Bill Pullman is the ostensible hero, a Roger Corman-like producer abruptly kidnapped by a pair of dim thugs who prepare to kill him in the shadow of the L.A. freeway. Gabriel Byrne watches, powerless, from on high, a meek Big Brother wired up through surveillance cameras hidden throughout the city. When Pullman disappears into the faceless population of L.A., adopted by a family of Hispanic gardeners, he begins his own covert investigation in parallel with the official inquiry conducted by movie-buff cop Loren Dean. Ostensibly a thriller, the film has little onscreen violence, but shadowy threats prowl around the edges, and echoes of unseen murders permeate the picture. The narrative is a tangle, neglecting characters and leaving the vast conspiracy more a suggestion than a fully conceived plot, possibly the victim of last-minute reworking after a disastrous showing at Cannes. But Wenders's unerring eye for image and color creates a stunning, often startlingly beautiful film of unsettling menace and haunting mystery, and his generosity of character fills this world with vivid personalities. Cult director Sam Fuller and character actor Henry Silva have small roles, and Traci Lind costars as a young stuntwoman with ambitions of an acting career. As always, Ry Cooder's score is superb. --Sean Axmaker
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