ike Bresson's movies, Three Monkeys is an archetype of the cinematic form in which the elements are stripped to their essences so that what remains is immaterial--as insubstantial as cinema can be.
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04/28/09
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Three Monkeys (2009)
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Reviews Counted:55
Fresh:43
Rotten:12
Average Rating:6.9/10
Consensus: Exploring the effects of a family's dealings with an underhanded politician, this crime drama avoids showing the violent outcomes of its characters' misdeeds, resulting in a lingeringly potent film.
Theatrical Release:Mar 13, 2009 Limited
Synopsis: After his critically acclaimed mood pieces Distant and Climates, Turkey’s leading filmmaker moves in a more plot-driven direction while retaining his mastery of ambiance and nuance. Winner of the... [More]
Director: Nuri Bilge Ceylan
Reviews for Three Monkeys
Three Monkeys (think "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil") unfolds with an agonizing, almost glacial inevitability on par with the best cinema noir.
04/24/09
[Director Nuri Bilge] Ceylan takes a step towards the mainstream with a fiercely executed drama that hopefully will expand the ranks of his admirers.
04/24/09
Top CriticThe plot may be simple enough but real artistry is shown by what the director does not show and by the actors' ability to express their emotions with limited dialogue.
04/14/09
Astonishing and brooding film noir head trip.
04/03/09
Unpredictable and gratifying.
03/27/09
Top Critic[The film's] hauntingly slow rhythms underscore the immanent violence and impotent rage that cripple already attenuated lives.
03/26/09
With very few words, it really gets under our skin
03/15/09
At times while watching it, I found myself fidgeting, my patience for long stare-offs exhausted; afterward, I couldn't stop thinking about it.
03/13/09
This sparsely-told story speaks volumes with the kind of cinematic poetry that you would expect to find at the Cannes Film Festival.
03/09/09
A change of pace for the Turkish auteur, this noirish crime family melodrama is more plot-driven than his previous efforts, but the personal signature is still evident in the elaborate mise-en-scene and striking images and sounds.
03/03/09
[Nuri Bilge] Ceylan keeps the cascade of mistakes and mishaps... off-screen. His camera stays on the actions and reactions of his characters in the wake of the repercussions...
02/19/09
Long, masterfully executed shots accompanied by minimal dialogue and a richly expressive soundtrack; subdued performances punctuated by violent bursts of emotion; and a confident trust in the combination of stark realism and unadorned melodrama.
02/19/09
Despite the strong performances he obtains from his actors here, and the way he keeps piquing our curiosity with ellipses and ambiguities, the film is not powerful enough to get away with that elaborate story line.
02/19/09
This is a film of formidable power that sticks in the mind.
02/19/09
Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s subtle and fascinating Three Monkeys, a film in which a family’s lies uncover a hidden honesty.
02/19/09
Turkish director Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s aching film is driven by complex, powerful performances. Too many angsty silences deflate the tension, but it’s gripping while it lasts.
02/13/09
It is certainly an engrossing work, it looks wonderful and every frame is dense with intelligence. There are stabs of interest and insight in every scene.
02/13/09
This Turkish film simmers and drips with restrained tension.
02/13/09
Three Monkeys, could be reduced to a simple moral – never do a dodgy politician a favour – though its layering of ironies and wrong turnings render it more subtly disturbing than that précis might suggest.
02/13/09
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