Creed II
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Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
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Critic Consensus: No consensus yet.
All Critics (17) | Top Critics (3) | Fresh (17) | Rotten (0) | DVD (2)
Artificial in the extreme, it may nevertheless be Greenaway's most naturalistic and easygoing film.
What we have here is a tantalizing puzzle, wrapped in eroticism and presented with the utmost elegance. I have never seen a film quite like it.
It shows the director at his best and most playful, and it's a strange delight.
A puzzle book for intellectual aesthetes.
One of the best, most original and diabolical films to come out of England.
ravishingly beautiful
Greenaway ploughs the familiar landscape of the murder mystery, but plants in it new, exotic fruits all of his own.
The Draughtsman's Contract is a thoroughly entertaining murder mystery set in 17th century England.
Far from Greenaway's best work. Very far.
This isn't your standard costume drama fare.
The Draughtsman's Contract has everybody clever in an odd way. I cannot make out what it is about. This is neither irritating enough to make me dislike the film nor intriguing enough to stimulate a rewatch. Would recommend only to those who enjoy the exercise of interpretation; it is not really comical or sexy enough for a casual view.
Super Reviewer
There are a lot of good things I can say about this film. The costumes and setting are gorgeous, and all of the performances are great - most of all Anthony Higgins, who is not only masterful in his role but wears Restoration costume as if he'd been born to do so. However, despite enjoying the first two thirds of the film I can't say I was especially enamoured of the ending section, possibly because much of it went over my head. Maybe I'll watch it again sometime and see if I understand it better.
Seductive cinematic puzzle, visually rich with deception, both of fact and motive, permeating the texture. Performances are uniformly excellent, while the historical setting is amongst the most vivid committed to film. Michael Nyman's beautifully crafted score contributes greatly.
This viewer obviously lacked the historical knowledge or the cinemaphile's love of abstract symbolism to appreciate this. The film was far too obscure for my tastes. A sketch artist agrees to a personal services contract with an aristocrat (sort of a "friends with benefits" arrangement) and finds himself set up to take the fall for a murder. A most unpleasant affair that was not sweetened in any way. No skin and little bedroom action of the most chaste variety. The costumes were lavish, the wigs extravagant, the dialog witty, but the story was nearly incomprehensible to this poor viewer. A whodunit in which no one knows, nor do they seem to care. Or maybe it is that everyone in the story knows, but still no one cares. This viewer is beyond caring. Mr Neville will still take the fall. And what was the purpose of the movable statue? Who knows? Another time waster one should stay away from unless in possession of the requisite knowledge to appreciate the subtleties of the 17th century costume drama with an artsy flair.
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