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Movies / On DVD / The Element of Crime
The Element of Crime

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The Element of Crime (1985)

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77 %
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Reviews Counted: 13

Fresh: 10

Rotten:3

Average Rating: 6.3/10

Runtime: 1 hr 44 mins

Genre: Dramas

Synopsis: Danish director Lars von Trier's debut feature film--also his first English-language effort--is an extremely hypnotic, moody thriller. The story opens in the desert of Egypt, where police detective... Danish director Lars von Trier's debut feature film--also his first English-language effort--is an extremely hypnotic, moody thriller. The story opens in the desert of Egypt, where police detective Leopold Fisher (Michael Elphick) is hypnotized and asked to recount the recent events of his life. It seems that Fisher has been called back to a small town where he has previously spent time in order to investigate the brutal murders of several little girls who sell lottery tickets. He reunites with his mentor, Osborne (Esmond Night), the writer of a controversial book entitled THE ELEMENT OF CRIME, in which he recommends that investigators adopt the point of view of killers in order to better predict subsequent tragedies. When Fisher meets Kim (Meme Lei), a beautiful young woman, the pair embarks on a journey that begins to blur the line between Fisher's simulated killer and the real thing. Von Trier's film is a bold exercise in style, using hypnotism to support the slowly unfolding story. Visually, he soaks the film in a sepia tone, incorporating double exposures and super-8 footage to add even more stylish effect. The result is a deeply puzzling murder mystery that stands as an extremely bold directorial debut. [More]

Starring: Michael Elphick, Esmond Knight, Meme Lei, Jerold Wells

Starring: Michael Elphick, Esmond Knight, Meme Lei, Jerold Wells

Director: Lars von Trier

Director: Lars von Trier

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Release:

Sep 19, 2000

No Details Exist
 
 

Reviews for The Element of Crime

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1 - 15 (sorted by date)
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Nearly incomprehensible but stylistically dazzling

Full Review Source: Perihelion Journal | comment Comment
08/21/06
Jay Antani
Perihelion Journal
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
01/26/06
Time Out

No review available.

comment Comment
10/27/05
Cole Smithey
ColeSmithey.com

No review available.

comment Comment
07/06/05
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com

No review available.

comment Comment
07/01/05
Jake Euker
F5 (Wichita, KS)
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
08/30/04
Vincent Canby
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

More than diverting, with entrancing production design, but not as fully realized as later Von Trier.

comment Comment
05/19/04
Nick Davis
Nick's Flick Picks

A cinephile's delight.

Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | comment Comment
01/26/04
Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews

No review available.

comment Comment
12/01/03
Brian Gibson
Vue Weekly (Edmonton, Canada)

No review available.

comment Comment
01/30/03
Mark Palermo
Coast (Halifax, Nova Scotia)

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
07/25/01
Christopher Null
Filmcritic.com

an utterly mesmerizing and completely disjointed crime thriller that is more about tone and style than it is about its fragmented narrative

Full Review Source: Q Network Film Desk | comment Comment
02/27/01
James Kendrick
Q Network Film Desk

That old predicament of too much style, not enough substance.

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
01/01/00
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

...a fascinating yet strangely unsatisfying film.

Full Review Source: DVDTown.com | comment Comment
01/01/00
John J. Puccio
DVDTown.com

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
01/01/00
Marc Savlov
Austin Chronicle
 
 
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