Reviews (10)

A Great Modern Drama about Sexual Obsession
Surreal as it may "The Adjuster" is still streaks and bounds ahead of most other sexual dramas. The story basically revolves around an insurance claims advisor (Elias Koteas) who helps people come to terms with the lose of their homes and possessions to some form of accident. He wife Hera (Arsinee Khanjian) works as a film censor who secretly films the pornography that she is viewing. There are various other characters who come into contact with the pair and sexual fantasies are the main theme that drives the story forward.

In many ways it is hard to describe without actually seeing it. There is very little plot but the movie does have some very memorable characters and it does have a good climax. It is sort of like a tone-downed version of a David Lynch movie and film director Atom Egoyan does wonders with the cinematography. The film looks visually wonderful and is very pleasing to the eye.

All in all this is a great drama but do not try and find too much of a plot here. It is more about the characters and their sexual dysfunctions. Some very memorable scenes throughout.

Well worth seeing.

Egoyan's most complex,funny and reflective
After sitting through multiple viewings of both a Pan & scan, censored vhs and a dim, murky widescreen PAL transfer, what a JOY to finally get to see this splendid film in a clean widescreen transfer. The soundtrack is possibly the best I've heard since "The Conversation" -a curious layering of soundtracks to films which are being censored, which you'd never want to see. Sometimes the film is funny, sometimes thoughtful, always it gives me time to think my own thoughts about its' troubling implications regarding our inability to see the whole picture. I LOVE this movie. I Love owning it. This is what DVD is really great for: being able to own great looking and sounding copies of your favorite films at reasonable prices.

mal-adjusted cinema
Of all of the early Egoyan's this is the one most like Sweet Hereafter as both are centered around a character whose job it is to assist victims of a tragedy but it doesn't hit as many notes as Sweet Herafter in fact mostly its just dark and occasionally darkly comic. Perhaps too dark in places and in other places just too bizarre to be taken seriously. I like Egoyans cast of actors many of whom appear over and over again in his films. Egoyan is sort of like Altman in his use of tangled narratives and ensemble casts but unlike Altman he doesn't give us much variety. Everyone in the Adjuster is wounded beyond repair and after awhile one longs for at least one character who is not emotionally crippled but its a vain hope. Sweet Herafter had its share of bizarre characters and moments but many of those characters had moments of self realization and found their way toward some form of redemption and though the film focused on human vulnerability and weaknesses and imperfections the film also offered glimpses of human strengths and will and capacity to endure. The Adjuster focuses on the weaknesses and imperfections exclusively. The Adjuster himself played by Elias Koteas is a complex character who has collected the victims of various tragedies around him. Its his job to help these vitims collect on their insurance claims but his interest in the job has him doing more than that. Apparently others tragedies arouse him in some way and he ends up sleeping with many of the people he is supposed to be helping. No one seems to notice what hes doing, in fact all the victims inexplicably see him as some kind of angel there to help them through their suffering(perhaps they see him in this light because they need something to give them strength)but of course the Adjuster is no angel. Since most of the victims have been burned out of their homes they all live in the same hotel and this makes for one of the more inspired dark comic scenarios in memory. A few of the characters are interesting but some of the story lines are so outrageous that they dwarf everything else in the movie. At points the film feels like overkill. For instance the adjuster's wife is a censor who watches porn flicks all day and then along with other censors casts her vote as to which bits need censoring. However she actually really enjoys watching the stuff and shes strikingly beautiful so its not a scenario without considerable appeal. But the scenario gets out of hand when Egoyan makes the censors offices (as well as the people working there) look and act like something out of Kafka or Orwell. Egoyan seems to be trying too hard to be clever and so the point he is making about humans fascination with forbidden or dark subjects gets lost or misplaced. And then the nymphomaniac/exhibitionist seemed like a character from a very adult version of Saturday Night Live. The ending of the film reveals how Elias Koteas met his wife but reveals very little as to why Elias Koteas is so turned on by the victims that seek his services. Tragedies induce strange maladies is all we know. Koteas deserves credit for finding something human in his character. The film itself seems to be a study of the various ways we become dehumanized but the study seems superficial. Unlike Sweet Hereafter the film never digs deep enough into its characters to give us a chance at knowing them as sufferers of one bizarre affliction or another. Koteas does an excellent acting job with what hes given but even he seems a frustratingly incomplete sketch.

A CLASSIC OF CEREBRAL CINEMA
What little hope I held for the future of mankind retaining any intellect, capacity for introspection, or sense of humor is now gone due to the asinine, stupid, brain-dead comments below that this film is slow and stupid.

THE ADJUSTER is a great film. Wicked, funny as all get out, darkly comic, sexy as hell, and perhaps the most chilling and dead-on critique of '666' and consumer-society ever filmed. Mychael Danna's score is Byzantine-perfect; Elias Koteas is at his peak as an enigmatic, lost soul.

What's it about? Well, it's about us. Modern people in a listless, overindulged, sensate-conscious lifestyle flailing about in a Northern American state of emotional repression doing anything they can to give meaning to their lives, or rather, just accumulate more stimulation. And in such a society, who becomes a 'Christ' figure to people who can't afford one due to their lukewarmness? Well, an Insurance Adjuster, pal. Who else? The guy who evaluates your 'lifestyle' and returns a semblance of it to you. I mean, it is ALL 'lifestyle' now, isn't it? You don't need a Diety, do you? No, all you want is an insurance adjuster. He will even sleep with you.

The ending quotes from "The Sound of Music" in a comic/horrific finale. One of the main characters - unable to 'play house' anymore in the landscape of modern time and space - decides to burn down the Insurance Adjuster's house he has rented - starts singing "My Favorite Things" as he proceeds to extinguish them all. Filmmaking doesn't get much more sly than that.

5 STARS for the ... Fantasy Play ALONE!
True this movie is SSSSLLLLLOOOOOWWWWWW.
That does not negate, however, some fantastic scenes and dialogue. Terrific ... Role Play situations!!! ... Read more

Description

An advertising executive battles a giant, intelligent rat that has invaded his townhouse. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Witty and Fun
Once a thief are great entertainment the screen play and all the exagerations are so funny. If you love great action then it is a must own

Bad Movie
The worst movie ever. If you want to see a real good Woo film, go watch "Face/Off". Now thats a good movie.

Great!!!
it's just... so canadian... brilliant, really... funny, full of action, suspense... it has it all.

3 stars movie
Not bad film. Quite stylish action. Me recommend to buy it only if u saw a same TV series! Problem with the soundtrack: crackling noise during many scenes. Sound in Dolby Prologic only. :(

Don't Buy - Lousy Audio
I like the movie and the video portion of the DVD is great. However, the audio is horrible. Constant crackling like an old, scratched record (for those who remember what they are). I have three (yes 3) original copies of this DVD and all 3 are defective. Don't waste your money. ... Read more

Reviews (11)

Big Deborah Fan
Misunderstood... your not crazy. I loved that movie, it was well worth my time, I'm getting ready to watch it again. I guess others just missed the point....but you HAVE to watch from beginning to end to understand the movie, but it's worth it.

Misunderstood
This is actually one of my favorite movies and either people are missing the point or i'm just weird but i love it. The movies switches from scene to scene in what seems like random order but after awhile you can organize it into larenz's life and his struggle with drugs, the present story line, and their family's past. I feel like it's an excellent film and very underrated.

Not as good as I thought
Well I saw this movie and I really didn't like it too much. It was just too much and just too little in it. Would I ever watch this again, NO!

A waste of valuable time!!!
I am a huge fan of Mr. Tate and Ms. Cox, but what in the world were they thinking? I heard from a friend that this was a pretty decent movie so I ran to the video store like a mad woman to rent it. I should have known better, it took me three tries before I could confine myself to a chair to watch it. The acting was not bad and certainly not great. The plot was dry and what in the world was the point? I had a better time watching Blair Witch. Don't waste your hard earned money and your precious time left on earth with this one.

It was pretty good
Larenz Tate was the executive producer of Love Come Down. At first I wasn't interested in seeing the film when it first came out but then I thought it might be good later on. It didn't bore me and it kept my attention. Overall, it was a good movie. ... Read more

Reviews (14)

Forgettable.
What do you get when you have John Woo direct a movie in which bloodshed is not allowed, the actors are all terrible Canadian nobodies, and the general feel is that of a TV-show pilot?

That's right, you get Blackjack.

Well, you also get this weak little remake of his 1989 Hong Kong film, but without Chow Yun-Fat and Jacky Cheung.

When will they release the whole series on DVD?
They SO need to release the whole TV series on DVD. Hurry up John Woo some of us were disappointed that the series got cancelled!

Warring: this film [is bad]
Warring this is not a good film. The screenplay is bad, the acting is bad, and about every thing about this film is bad. John Woo is a good director; this is not a good film. Woo's Hollywood success with BROKEN ARROW and FACE/OFF emboldened FOX TV to remake Woo's Hong Kong action comedy hit ONCE A THIEF (1992) for TV. Wath we got was nothing more then a movie that rips off Woo's (good) Hong Kong films (a little bit of HARD BOILED can be seen in the film) with a no name TV movie stars (like Nicholas Lea) who wood bee better off acting in plays or something like that. This film was also to be a pilot for a TV program it looks like they got the ratings in this film [is bad] (you may know that by now, but I hate this film). The story (if there is one) is set in Hong Kong and then in Vancouver but that is all I wath to put to words, the rest is too dumb (or has been used before in the 92 film). Look for the 1992 film. The video is a "Never before Seen R-rated Director's cut", but there is no blood or nothing in it. A much better Woo U.S.A. made film is HARD TARGET.

1997. TV Film. ??? MINS.

Rated R For Violence.

Fun start to an even better series
While I won't call this movie high art, it was a lot of fun to watch. And ignore the...comment. While the show has not yet aired in the States (but will be on many ABC stations next fall), it was turned into a series that was much better, including episodes that satirized everything from Waiting for Godot and the Maltese Falcon to James Bond and X-Files.

Disappointing
Ok let me say that I saw this movie on TV a few years ago and I was intrigued when it was called "John Woo's Once a Thief" because the original (Chinese version, 1990)with Leslie Cheung and Chow Yun Fat is one of my favorite movies. This movie had none of the slapstick laughs and rapport that Cheung, Chow, and Chung had in the original. The acting quality was also very poor. So for all of you seeing this washed out and weak version, do yourselves a favor and see the Chinese version. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Harrowing Tale
What an amazing movie! Ticket to Heaven takes us on a bumpy ride through cult hell. David, played by Nick Mancuso, is, after a failed romance, primed for being sucked into a Moonie-like cult. His descent into hell and his friends' journey to pull him out make for riveting entertainment and thought provoking viewing. No one will forget the final few moments when you say to yourself, "What just happened here?"

Creepy, real, important and scary
Anyone who has been in a cult, knows or knew someone in a cult, or finds extreme belief systems interesting, you'll find this movie to be amazing. My eyes watered because I didn't want to blink and miss anything. Check it out.

Good movie to watch, even if you haven't been in a cult.
Ticket to Heaven is an honest look at one young man who gets sucked into a cult.Nick Mancuso's character, David, has just broken up with his girlfriend. When he goes to find solice in his friend in California, he becomes entangled in a fanatical religious group that turns out to be a cult. The movie follows David's struggles getting in and hopefully, getting out.The film takes a really honest approach showing how easy it is to get into the middle of a cult without knowing it. It shows the different tactics used by cults to wear you down and turn you into a part of their group. Nick Mancuso does an excellent job portraying David, who though reluctant and struggling a lot with his decision, decides to join. Mancuso's character really shows how listening and giving in little by little to a cult's activities makes one more susceptible to them.This movie is a must-see for those who have ever experienced something like this. It is a real refresher to see where you have come from since you left. It is a real learning experience to see some of things that maybe made you susceptible to joining a cult.If you are a parent with a child in this situation it shows what your child may be going through or experiencing and will show you what it may be like to get them out.Even if you haven't been in a situation like this, it is a captivating film to watch and see the struggles that are involved and maybe catch some of ideas of staying out of a cult. ... Read more