The Double Hour (2009)

Good concept, poorly executed.

As Good As It Gets

Great movie! If you want to be entertained and have a few good laughs, see this movie. The music is also very good,

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

Sonia, a chambermaid working in an upscale Turin hotel, gets the shock of her life as she enters to make the room of a young woman. Sonia insists in coming back later, but the girl assures her it is fine to clean the room. While doing the bathroom, Sonia hears a sound, goes to the room and through the open window she watches the dead guest ling on a roof in a pool of blood. Sonia, a single woman from Slovenia, frequents a place where unattached people go to meet others. The talks between prospective partners are timed, so the last person Sonia chats with is Guido, a widower recovering from the death of his wife. It is clear Sonia and Guido like each other, as they decide to go to his place for sex. Passing a digital clock displaying time in the twenty four hour fashion, Guido sees it is 23.23, a magical time in which to make a wish. We never get to know what his desire was.The attraction between Guido and Sonia is evident. He is a private security guard overseeing a country estate. Deciding to take Sonia to spend some time with him, they are surprised by a group of robbers who have brought a truck to steal the contents of the palace-like place. Overpowering Guido and Sonia, the man in charge, makes a move which indicates he recognizes her. When a shot is fired, Guido is killed and the bullet graces Sonia's forehead. "La doppia ora", directed by Giuseppe Capotondi, is not an easy film to sit through because it demands the viewer's full attention. This Italian film who was a favorite in the Venice film festival, deserves a second viewing in order to get all the clues that are so subtly placed within the narrative. The screenplay was a collaboration between Alessandro Fabri, Ludovica Rampoldi and Stefano Sardo. Much of the confusion a casual viewer will experiment stems from what is in Sonia's mind after she falls into a coma-like state at the hospital. As she visits Guido's grave, there is a funeral taking place in which a priest looks at the passing Sonia, as though recognizing her and later on, turning up again in her neighborhood and on another occasion. The screenplay mixes genres. Clarity was not in the mind of the writers, or in Mr. Capotondi while the film was being shot. It is a film that relies more on the different styles to create the thriller atmosphere.Ksenia Rappoport, the Russian actress, makes an excellent impression of her Sonia. She never disappoints as the mystery surrounding her makes her contribution to the film more exciting. Handsome Filippo Timi is wonderful as Guido. There is good chemistry between the two stars to create the passion and suspense that keeps this film going. Tad Ratcliffe's photography is right on target as well as Pasquale Catalano's musical score. Giuseppe Capotondi's film debut impresses.

I left the movie theater with Polanski in mind. The early Polanski. The Tenant, Rosemary's Baby, and especially Repulsion. In fact, I suspect that the very last shot of the movie is a clin d'oeil to the last shot of Polanski's Repulsion. That shot is also similar to the end of Kubrick's The Shining, but the schizophrenic perspective on reality in The Double Hour is certainly closer to early-Polanski than Kubrick.So this is not a cheap thriller. Many times I could feel my heart pounding and I covered my neck with my jacket. The entire movie is well worth seeing just for those (common) suspenseful scenes. The acting is also good, mainly because the characters are believable and fun to watch (for example, there is a Colombo-type cop that I was always happy to see coming back).My only disappointment with The Double Hour is with the very last shot. The movie was ending in a simple way, a bit like Woody Allen's Match Point, but then the last shot appears and we start doubting over the whole thing (was Rosemary paranoid, or did she really give birth to the devil?) Overall a good movie that I would recommend. I would give 9 or 10/10 to the early Polanski movies, The Shining or other suspense movies like The Orphanage. This one had many weak scenes and the ending was a bit adolescent. Nevertheless, a good flick.

My first complaint is that the subtitles were not infrequently "white on white" making them unreadable and preventing understanding of a convoluted plot that required full concentration.Aside from that,even one fluent in Italian would have difficulty making any sense out of this plot that would require imagination far beyond the Lynchian productions.The example of robbing a facility with such valuable material and such minimal security is absurd.Even Inspector Clouseau could have solved this crime. The psychological and surrealistic portions were misplaced and offered little.I will admit that the acting was good, especially the principals. Ksenia Rappaport is a very watchable actress and could be a benefit in an otherwise well constructed film. In its present state however, I cannot recommend it.

If this was not a foreign movie it would be subject to ridicule and laughing. The audience I was with hated it. The plot was the worst I have seen in a so-called "thriller"--IT MADE NO SENSE WHATSOEVER!! There were no way you could figure what time it was, whether a scene was real or a dream, the men were not identifiable because they all looked the same slightly built and with horrible beards. The idea that any women would be attracted by any of them is absurd. Most of the scenes made no sense whatsoever. The plot line was the worst. I wouldn't worry about plot spoilers since the movie makes no sense. Anybody who found this film exciting or "riveting" was short of sleep and had poor concentration. There is no excuse for this film. It stinks. Don't go near it.