Fairaher The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

Kaelan Mccaffrey Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

Matho The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.

Staci Frederick Blistering performances.

david-sarkies This is not a mainstream movie, but that does not mean that it is bad. The End of Violence is a very good movie which has quite a lot within its frame work. It is somewhat slow and when watching it for the first time it seems that there are scenes in the movie that could have been left out, they did not seem to add to the overall plot of the movie, and that tends to put me off. These scenes though, namely the poetry reading scenes, do indeed add to the plot in a very subtle way and are very important in the development of the characters, two of whom are minor characters in the movie. Even then, the poetry that is read out depicts the major theme of the movie, and that is the enemy that is within, not the enemy without, and the realisation of the characters that the enemy is not out there, but in amongst us.When watching the movie we must constantly remember the title because that helps us understand what the movie is about. It works in two levels though, in a social level and in a psychological level. The social level of the movie is about a new security system which can monitor all the city of Los Angeles. A man can sit in one room and see almost anywhere in Los Angeles. He watches crimes happen and he watches criminals get caught. The problem with this is that congress does not know about the system and if they found out about it then big problems would happen. They must keep it secret at all costs: it will end violence but at the cost of people's privacy. This seems to reflect Orwell's Nineteen Eighty Four where big brother knows everything.The psychological aspect of the movie deals with a film producer name Micheal Max. Everybody knows and loves this guy, but he is not loved by all as he is abducted by a couple of hit men and was about to be executed. Micheal Max has an obsession with violence, he says that when he was a kid he was scared of the movies and then he became a film producer. This suggests that he desires to master violence by controlling it in the forms of movies. Though he tries to master violence, he cannot master his life. His relationship with his wife is falling apart as he just does not spend anytime with her. She begins by just wanting to leave and ends by taking everything.The plot of the movie comes out when he receives an email from somebody containing confidential FBI information. Then he is abducted and one assumes that it is because of the FBI document. This is someway true, but the killers are nothing more than idiots. The film does not reveal who attempted to kill him, or why, but this document remains somewhat important, though we are never told what it is. This movie never really wants us to be sure. It lets us make up our minds about things but does not tell us if we are wrong or not. What we are really doing is watching Micheal Max come to understand and conquer his fear of violence.There are three main male characters, Doc, a forensic scientist who is investigating Mike Max's disappearance, Mike Max, and Ray, the operator of the surveillance system. The characters have little contact in the movie but are connected. There are three women that are directly connected with each of these characters, and two of these women interact with one of the other males characters. Max's wife, the first one, speaks with Doc, but her role is that she drifts further away from Max. The actress is loved by Mike as a friend, but her role is that she builds a relationship with Doc. Then there is Sue, the Mexican cleaner, who works under Ray. They fall in love, but at the end of the movie she exits with Mike Max, after both have given up violence. The casting of the three male characters was done in a way that they all were similar in appearance. These characters were linked in this way and also in a way that they were trying to bring an end to violence. Mike Max has been discussed, Ray is trying to bring an end through the surveillance system, while Doc is a police officer trying to uncover the truth. It is interesting that the police are not interested in the truth, they have their theory and are not at all interested in the truth.There is a lot more in this movie, but to bring it up would mean watching it again and studying it closer. This movie is very good for those who like movies which make you think. The ending isn't conclusive and you don't realise it is there until you get there. It comes as a bit of a shock because there seems to be a lot of things unresolved, but when you look back over the movie you realise that they have been resolved, but not in the way you expect it to be. The movie tells you numerous times that it is not a typical Hollywood ending, such as Mike Max's comment, "I hate those conspiracy movies where the beautiful woman gets killed." This is not a typical Hollywood movie and thus does not have a satisfying ending for those who want one.

leplatypus Beware of the brand: if Wenders can deliver some inspired movies ("Stay, faraway so close", Antonioni's "Beyond the Clouds"), he can also offer the worst like this one. A little reminiscent of Lynch's "Mulholland Drive" for a personal trip into Hollywood, this movie is my worst movie of the year.Nearly, all the scenes add nothing to the story so it's long, dull… It's funny because Wenders shoots actually my feelings: MacDowell phones her husband saying she is bored. And the moment I prefer is when the director says the movie is finished! The only tasteful thing is the locations: For LA, the exterior sets are rather beautiful (the observatory) or very modern art (the highways). The shot of the filming set inside the movie looks a lot like the Hopper's painting "Night Hawks" (the famous realistic bar, if you prefer..) So, this movie is a gallery of paintings (only visual) and I prefer the Lynch's gallery.

Bob Stein, VisiBone Great actors, characters and story building up to a dissatisfying oh-my-god-it-can't-be-yet ending. It's almost a cruel joke that in the movie is an aborted movie production. Am I just not deep enough to see the point? I must be so shallow that it seems like the original writer/director/producer team were all shot before the movie was done and the cleanup crew left more loose ends than a tide of Malibu seaweed. There is a beautiful little existential paradox and message. But we were so much enjoying the story and all the substories and loving the characters that to just quit on us like it did was cruel. The inbred credits led me to expect a much more coherent wrap up.

jotix100 Wim Wenders "The End of Violence" is a film that evokes the director's own work. Also, we are reminded, somewhat, of Antonioni's "Blow Up" because of the elements the director has brought to the movie. At any rate, this is an enigmatic piece of cinema that will divide the audience. Some will love it, some will hate it; there's no two ways about it. It might help to take a second viewing, as things will, no doubt, fall into place.The film focuses on Mike Max, a powerful Hollywood producer, who we meet at the beginning of the story. Mr. Max, like all key players in the industry must be wired to all kinds of devices in order to keep on top of the movies, the trend, and the gossip, associated with making movies. When his wife Page wants to talk to him, she calls him to his poolside perch to announce she is leaving him.The other important character in the film is Ray Bering, a laconic man we watch going to an observatory where he works. There are a lot of monitors in the place, and we realize Ray is spying on what's happening in the outside world, a sort of Big Brother Voyeur, if you will. When Mike Max is kidnapped by two hired assassins and he is taking under some highway overpasses, it registers in one of Ray's monitors, but being so far from the scene, he can't determine who it is. Ray believes that by controlling the street crime, the violence will disappear.Max, who didn't die, is found by a group of Mexican gardeners who take him to the home of one of them without asking him questions. This proves to be Max's salvation because he stays out of harm's way. To make matters worse, the producer was told at the start of the story a lengthy FBI file has been found in his email. Mike Max, who is producing a movie, now in production, can't prevent Page, who realizes her husband might be dead, to take over the film and his business.There are a few other narratives going on, but suffice it to say, they all come together at the end, as we realize what has really happened. Wim Wenders, who made this film much earlier, seems to have pointed out to last year's "Crash", with its multiple stories happening also in Los Angeles. Pascal Rabaud's photography gives a different look to this L.A. in the picture. The music of Ry Cooder, who went to collaborate with Mr. Wenders, gives the film another dimension with its enigmatic score. Nicholas Klein's wrote the screen play with Mr. Wenders.Bill Pullman has great opportunities in the film. This fine actor never ceases to amaze for his range. Gabriel Byrne is seen as Ray Bering, the man overlooking the street crime he wants to eliminate. Traci Lind and Loren Dean are fine as well. Anddie MacDowell appears as Page, the ambitious wife who takes over when her husband disappears. Legendary director Sam Fuller has a small part as Ray's father. The ensemble cast does a wonderful job.Wim Wenders directed with his usual fine style this moody film that is worth a look by any movie fan.