Circus (2000)

Absolutely Fantastic

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties. It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

And I thought that since he is on the cover and is 4th billed, hey, Eddie must have a big part in this movie. I was sorely mistaken. The time he was on screen (3 short scenes) was fantastic. He sings! Many times and is freaking adorable. Unfortunately, this movie was overly complicated and lost my interest. It was decent but nothing amazing, My point being, if you are going to see this movie just for Eddie Izzard, you might be disappointed.

There's seldom a movie which requires to be seen twice only because you're not sure if you have understood everything the first time... well, now I have experienced that also. The reason to watch the film was duo Hannah / Stormare, and they surely did fine performances both! Some scenes were absolutely hilarious and as I had seen John Hannah as Rebus before this film, it was a great reminder that he also has immense gifts for comedy! And all those facades Peter Stormare had as Julius, they were a pleasure to see! Famke Janssen was a new face to see and one I gladly see in other productions also. What comes to cast, I have no bad words to say. But what comes to the director/producer... the story jumps to and fro between past and present and scenes get damn confusing... you didn't know what it was you were seeing... Anyway, 8/10, not bad, but those points were only saved by the excellent cast and the fact that I think the original manus might have been pretty good. It was just spoiled by someone who wanted to be "unpredictable and innovative". Besides, after seeing the movie twice I still have the feeling I've missed something...

I was fascinated to read the range of opinions on `Circus' from `awesome, breathtaking, brilliant' and most things between right down to `Golden Turkey candidate'. I find myself in the latter camp.The producers obviously thought that if they mixed plenty of over-the-top violence with barrages of four-letter expletives they'd have another `Lock, Stock and two Smoking Barrels' on their hands. A pity that they forgot to include wit, style, charm and flair. And it was certainly a mistake to feature a visit to Welles' classic `The Lady from Shanghai' thus serving to remind us how much better cinema can be.John Hannah gets his shirt off at every opportunity, a huge American drives around in a Mini Minor as `Circus' pathetically strains for cult status and even the beautiful Amanda Donohoe can't add any class to these proceedings.If you want to see a good Brit film try the sublime `Wonderland'

I bumped into this randomly on HBO, and loved it! It's like a modern, wicked Hitchcock - it twists, and twists, and twists again.How shall I put this delicately - this is not a movie for people who have trouble keeping up with a plot. If you're always the one asking "what's going on NOW", you aren't the target audience.Gangsters, loan sharks, bad girls and legbreakers - all the staples are here. Easier on the American ear than Guy Ritchie's twisters, this one is even harder to predict. If you only know John Hannah from the Mummy flicks, prepare for a small surprise, and the small Fred Ward part is excellent. And the movie is hysterical - but in a VERY dry, very black, gallows fashion.