chamiduamarasinghe

The film is very good. It is shot in one location(The Gstaad Palace in Switzerland here) like many of Polanski's films. Both Mickey Rourke and Oliver Masucci are great here. Many renowned actors working today would fall flat on their face if they tried to play these two characters. Who better to be rude to everything and everyone around him than Mickey Rourke? But his character has depth here. He is very warm and very friendly with the Bank Manager character. Clearly Rourke is one of the most talented actors of his generation. His face certainly looks very different than what it once was but it fits in with the character and doesn't detract from the quality of his performance.

The film has minor flaws like some hideous exterior shots of the hotel and the final frame is certainly not great especially when taken out of context. But I was never bored and there is always something going on(tracking shots through hallways, constant use of red and green in the frame and an outstanding first scene). Apart from the two leads newcomer Bronwyn James also stood out. She stole every scene away from the great John Cleese when they were together especially before he ultimately went to his happy place. It is not among the best of Polanski but easily better than most well rated films out there mainly because they don't have a master like Polanski behind the wheel.