The Immigrant (2014)

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

This has to be one of the best looking films of 2013. The recreation of over crowded, grotty 1921 New York is quite eye popping in its nightmarish appearance. Desperate to settle in this rather foreboding place are the immigrants from war ravaged Europe (two young girls from Poland in this case). For some of these poor souls the Ghettos they were escaping - must have resembled those they found waiting to greet them. Hell's Kitchen is an apt description. For those fortunate enough, there may have been a 'better' life to be forged.Writer director James Gray reaches into some of his own families experiences to craft a powerful work that could drag some viewers into places and situations they might rather not go. Somehow this diligent director manages to expose the many sordid situations that befall our genteel young Polish lasses, with at times, surprising subtlety. Apart from several topless women and the odd four letter word, he manages to fully convey the somewhat tragic lives of vulnerable women, coerced into the seedy sex trade by opportunists. This is the sort of subject film makers the likes of Scorsese, Eastwood, Kubrick etc, would sensationalize to the hilt. Gray, tells it all forthrightly but with a class and integrity uncommon in today's 'in your face' movies. He, or co-writer Ric Menello also manage to weave into the gritty script, insightful Biblical quotes that add hope to often desperate situations. The main leads turn in tour de force performances. Marian Cotillard as Ewa, the young Pole wanting to make enough money to supply continuing medical treatment for her institutionalized sister is superb. Her equal, is vegan actor and son of one time missionaries: Joaquin Phoenix, playing the corrupt people user Bruno. Bruno is himself the son of immigrant's who still retains descent family memories - now, he's beginning to recognize the qualities he's corrupting in Ewa - leaving him with complex layers of regret and a deep seated burning to redeem some of his better self. His is a finely etched Dostoevsky style characterization, played with convincing power.The combination of multiple Oscar nominated veteran costume designer Patricia Norris ('The Elephant Man' '80) ~ Art director Pete Zuma ~ Set decorator David Schlesinger ~ Iranian born Cinematographer Darius Khondji (Panic Room '02) make for a sumptuous visual treat. Music composer Chris Spelman's evocative score is given grand treatment under the baton of the Prague Filmharmonic. He also appears as Arturo Toscanini. There are a couple of questionable plot occurrences along the way, and the casual viewer may not last the distance due to the measured pace. Don't come to this looking for explosive action or comic book hero's. If you have a preference for character development and classic quality film making then you could stand a chance of being richly rewarded.

'THE IMMIGRANT': Three Stars (Out of Five)Critically acclaimed drama flick; directed by James Grey and starring Marion Cotillard, Joaquin Phoenix and Jeremy Renner. Grey also co- wrote the screenplay, with Ric Menello; the same duo also wrote the critically acclaimed 2009 romantic drama film 'TWO LOVERS', which also costarred Phoenix and was directed by Grey (Grey also directed and wrote, or co-wrote, 'WE OWN THE NIGHT' and 'THE YARDS'; which also costarred Phoenix). This film tells the story of a Polish immigrant, in New York in 1921, who's taken advantage of by a businessman; who intimidates her into prostitution. The film appears on many critics' 2014 Top 10 lists. I found it to be way too melodramatic to really enjoy.The story is set in 1921 New York City, where two Polish Catholic women have just arrived; after fleeing a war-torn Poland. Magda Cybulska (Angela Sarafyan) is quarantined at Ellis Island, due to lung disease, and separated from her sister, Ewa (Cotillard). Ewa is almost deported, until she catches the attention of an American businessman, named Bruno Weiss (Phoenix). Bruno bribes an officer into letting her stay and takes her home to his house, in Manhattan. He gets her a job dancing at the Bandits' Roost theater, where he works. He later convinces her to become a prostitute, in order to make enough money to rescue her sister. Ewa falls deeper and deeper into a continuous life of depression, and desperation, until she meets Bruno's cousin, Emil. Emil is a charming and talented magician, that immediately falls for Ewa. He offers her the further assistance she needs, to save her sister.The story is involving and the characters are pretty interesting (the film is also really beautiful to look at). Grey says the film is 80% based on his grandparents' actual experiences, arriving in the US in 1923, and he also says it's his "most personal and autobiographical film to date", because of it. I think that's all really lovely, and inspiring, but the movie is just way too cheesy, and overly dramatic, for me to really like it. The acting is also all really bad and forced; I can't really say I like any of the performances in it. I can kind of see why most of the critics like it, but I don't think it's a very enjoyable or entertaining movie (due to the bad melodrama). I also saw a version of the film that's dubbed in another language though, so that might be part of the reason it seems so cheesy to me.Watch our movie review show 'MOVIE TALK' at: http://youtu.be/WFFIYhYu22M

The Immigrant tells us a devastating story, which simultaneously denounces the fallacy of "American dream" and confirms the indomitable spirit of the immigrants who forged the cultural and economical basis of that country. The performances are excellent, the characters are complex, and the cinematography captures the reality of the historical period with a raw beauty. However, I didn't like this film very much, mainly because it didn't make me feel anything, despite all the drama and personal tragedy it displays. The unfortunate experiences the main character lives are mortifying, and unfortunately, they might have been very common in the time in which this movie is set (also nowadays, thinking it well); but for some reason, The Immigrant isn't made with enough passion for us to plunge into the main character's experiences, and it doesn't have a concrete point besides of being a sample book of human suffering which should have been touching, but it isn't. Having said that, I think my opinion about The Immigrant is in the minority, considering all the acclamation this film has received around the world. However, this doesn't mean I couldn't find positive elements in this film, such as the brilliant performances. Marion Cotillard perfectly transmits vulnerability and resistance at the same time. The great Joaquin Phoenix brings a predictably amazing work as the opportunist Bruno, and Jeremy Renner brings a warm and sensitive attitude which totally adjusts to his character. I think that those three performances are enough reason to make The Immigrant worthy of a slight recommendation, with the hope that other spectators will appreciate the emotions and narrative honesty I wasn't able to find.

Wow, OK, I was on Netflix looking for something to watch, I was in a nostalgic melancholy mood and didn't see anything I wanted to watch so I did the Max thing and The Immigrant came up time and again. So I decided to watch it. I can't even tell you how shocked I was at how good this movie was, I wanted a tear jerker and boy did I get one! The acting itself was amazing and completely believable, I found myself talking out loud as I watched it.Joaquin Phoenix,Marion Cotillard and Jeremy Renner had outstanding performances!! I'm a big movie buff and I just joined IMDb but I have to tell you this is a must see if you want to see something that makes you FEEL!!!