JinRoz For all the hype it got I was expecting a lot more!

KnotStronger This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

Griff Lees Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

Ella-May O'Brien Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

cinemajesty Film Review: "The Beat That My Heart Skipped" (2005)World-premiering at the "Berlinale" in February 2005 in its 55th edition, little did superior film festival "Cannes" know that up and coming auteur-director Jacques Audiard had been on the run for a precision script of supreme beats, alongside with his strong-beating leading actor Romain Duris, at age 30; together they had been creating an independent masterpiece following a man called Tom, a small-time metropolitan criminal with his fingers all over Paris, France to reach for advantages in daily budgetary needs and life-style, while his pounding, all vivid dream of playing the "Concert Piano" slowly slips away; as Tom's father, portrayed by always-authenticity supporting actor Niels Arestrup, knocks his son off his feet by begging him to drive-in money from real estate rent fall-outs as well as approving his new girl-friend as Tom quickly gears up his chances, putting his fate into his own hands by practicing the piano over hitting harder targets in Paris' street to night life.Cinematography by Stéphane Fontaine and production design keep their independence with hand-held camera manuveurs on close-to none-dressed, on-location sets, when director Jacques Audiard raises suspense as character tension points in thought-out script, especially with his leading man Tom, when his discipline at piano lessons and gentle, but short-lived love affairs with a best friend's girlfriend, all superb cast with further two female supports as actresses Linh Dan Pham and Aure Atika, withhold passion and desire not only with regard to leading actor Romain Duris, but also for the amazed spectre's eye, how well this 100-Minute-Editorial ingnited by editor Juliette Welfing flows; as producer Pascal Caucheteux entrusts his director completely in delivering throughout post-production by adding galvanizing scoring beats by composer Alexandre Desplat to finish off motion picture excellence. Copyright 2018 Cinemajesty Entertainments LLC

morrison-dylan-fan Taking part in a poll on ICM on the best films of 2005,I started looking for French flicks from the year. Avoiding the movie due to the twee title,I was surprised to discover that the film was not a Romance,but a remake of 1978's Fingers (which I've not yet seen) that led to me catching up to the beat.The plot:Joining his dad Robert in business by beating up people who turn down deals,Thomas Seyr gets involved with pals Fabrice and Sami in setting up dodgy real estate deals. Becoming fully involved in a daily life of crime after his classical pianist mum died 8 years ago,Thomas is woken up when he crosses paths with his mums former manager,who asked Thomas if he has ever considered playing classical music,which makes Thomas play a new tune to his life.View on the film:Working as a director for hire, (producer Pascal Caucheteux wanted to do another remake after producing the US remake of Assault on Precinct 13) co-writer/(with Tonino Benacquista) director Jacques Audiard & cinematographer Stéphane Fontaine fluidly play Neo-Noir notes spun from up close,documentary-style "shaky" camera moves pushing the viewers nose into Thomas's grey and grime crime world. Backed by a warm score from Alexandre Desplat,Audiard finely tunes the darkness with shots of lights,as side shots of Thomas playing captures the notes in life Thomas is trying to hit,as his artistic dreams are plucked by the family life of crime.Changing the plot after co-writer Benacquista said he hated Fingers, (what a perfect choice to write the remake!)the writers wonderfully string Thomas as a loner in a constant search to find a place to fit in,with a Neo-Noir self-contempt making Thomas believe that he must follow his dad's footsteps. Focusing on the relationship between Thomas and music,the writers wonderfully contrast between the music hall lights that Thomas escapes to,with the vicious,daily grind of his Noir life of crime. Joined by a great support cast that includes Anton Yakovlev as Minskov and Mélanie Laurent as Minskov's Girlfriend, Romain Duris (who got taught by his sister to play the piano for the film) gives an excellent performance as Thomas,which flows with the dream optimism of a new life,which Duris grinds down with a nose to the grindstone suspicion from Thomas that a finally piece has been written for his life.

wes-connors "From Jacques Audiard, the acclaimed filmmaker," notes the DVD sleeve, "comes this haunting new thriller that fuses two unlikely worlds to create a stunning portrait of a young gangster. Romain Duris, in a standout performance, plays Tom, a 28-year-old who seems destined to follow in his father's footsteps as a Parisian property shark working in a sleazy and sometimes brutal world. However, a chance encounter with his late mother's music agent leads him to believe that he can become, like his mother, a concert pianist. In earnest, he starts preparing for the audition with the help of a beautiful, young virtuoso pianist who has just arrived from China. She doesn't speak a word of French; music is their only exchange. But pressures from the ugly world of his day job become more than he can handle…" Strange how this film has found its way into my hands before the original, US-made "Fingers" (1978), starring Harvey Keitel; more often, the American re-make of a French film predominates. Probably, the reason is that Mr. Audiard's version was immediately acclaimed as the latest work from a superior director. Re-titled "The Beat That My Heart Skipped" for English readers, this is a nicely performed character-driven crime drama. Twitching and quivering, Mr. Duris is especially memorable as the unhappy degenerate who yearns for respectability through musicianship. Unfortunately, the "shaky camera" technique gets out of hand sometimes, distracting during a couple of scenes; mostly, the wobbling stays in the realm of a sway or bounce - even when the characters are not, of course. C'est la vie.******* De battre mon coeur s'est arrete (2/17/05) Jacques Audiard ~ Romain Duris, Niels Arestrup, Linh-Dan Pham, Aure Atika

Alonso7000 I generally like French films, but this one is not very good. I think the good reviews are from people who want it to be brilliant, but it is actually poorly written and lazily acted. The violent parts are not believable and the transitions to the poetic piano player are more pretentious than realistic. The lead actor seems to be overwhelmed with the idea of an artsy performance, so he uses the minimalist approach. The director complements this concept with a silly, pretentious style. Another problem is the music itself, namely the piano playing. The playing style is simply not in keeping with the supposed level of the piano player. Some of the supporting roles are quite good, but the parents simply don't measure up in terms of gravitas.