The Knife (1991)

An American photographer in Rio de Janeiro becomes involved in the world of "knife culture" when he sets out to find the killer of one of his models.

Director:

Walter Salles (as Walter Salles Jr.)

Writers:

Rubem Fonseca, Rubem Fonseca (novel)

Stars:

Peter Coyote, Tchéky Karyo, Amanda Pays

4 wins.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Peter Coyote	...	Peter Mandrake
Tchéky Karyo	...	Hermes (as Tcheky Karyo)
Amanda Pays	...	Mariet
Raul Cortez	...	Lima Prado
Giulia Gam	...	Gisela
Paulo José	...	Detective
Eduardo Conde	...	Roberto Mitry
René Ruiz	...	José Zakkai - Iron Nose (as Rene Ruiz)
Tonico Pereira	...	Rafael
Miguel Ángel Fuentes	...	Camilo Fuentes (as Miguel Angel Fuentes)
Cássia Kis	...	Mercedes (as Cassia Kiss)
Iza Do Eirado	...	Zélia
Tony Tornado	...	Iron Nose's Bodyguard
Eduardo Waddington	...	Knife Dealer
Alvaro Freire	...	Evilásio - Mitry's Butler (as Álvaro Freire)

Storyline

An American photographer in Rio de Janeiro becomes involved in the world of "knife culture" when he sets out to find the killer of one of his models.

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Plot Keywords:

fertility fetish | murder | brazil | drive by shooting | bolivia | 

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Genres:

Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong graphic violence, and for language and sensuality.

Did You Know?

Trivia

First collaboration between Walter Salles and Tchéky Karyo. They later worked in Foreign Land (1995).

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Goofs

The knife dealer says the Applegate-Fairbairn knife is used by British commandos. Actually the knife is a redesign of the Fairbairn-Sykes fighting knife that was widely used in WWII, the Applegate-Fairbairn wasn't issued to any armed forces to this day.

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Quotes

Peter Mandrake: All my life, I've been looking for something... different.

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Alternate Versions

UK versions are cut by 19 seconds for an '18' rating.

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Connections

References Batman (1989)

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Soundtracks

Concerto For Cello, Strings and Continuo in E Minor
Written by Antonio Vivaldi (as A. Vivaldi)
Performed by Pierre Fournier (cello and Lucerne Festival Strings)
Conducted by R. Baumgartner
Courtesy of Polygram Records

User Reviews

This will be a cult movie.

Fighting with edged weapons fell into obscurity after the advent of the gun. The old European blade skills almost died out, as did the Oriental arts of Arnis, Escrima, and Silat(which were derived in part from the fighting art of the Spanish Conquistadors).

The science of blade fighting smoldered weakly for five hundred years in remote outposts of Indonesia, the Philippines and Japan where the gun never quite captured the imagination of peoples who had truly understood steel.

Recently, for reasons which are still obscure, blade skills have enjoyed a renaissance as a legitimate martial art in the United States. A sub-culture of knife fighting students has emerged which will be the audience of this excellent movie.

This film stands almost alone as an artistic representation of training and fighting with edged weapons. Early in the movie Tcheky Karyo carries off a chilling and realistic knife-fighting sequence which makes the hair stand up on the neck. He then plays the instructor, showing the viewer the simple beauty of how an art thousands of years old can be transmitted.

Peter Coyote makes us see the mental and physical journey of the student. At the climax of the movie he manages to project truly the mind-set needed to face steel with steel as he goes toe-to-toe with the true master in a duel to the death.

The training sequences in this movie are clear expressions of real techniques used in the old arts of Arnis and Escrima, with elements of European blade practice thrown in. The film could actually be studied as a training aid.

A certain amount of "Hollywood" was included to extend the final fighting sequence for dramatic effect, but this will not be noticed by the novice and should not interfere with the enjoyment of any viewer interested in the arts involved.

This film is an example of the movie being better than the book. Rubim Fonseca's book "The High Art" contained only the germ of the grim plot which the movie fully exploits. For some reason, after having his character learn the high art, Fonseca has him put the knife away in a drawer and back away from the brutal reality of the science he has learned, contenting himself with amorous conquests rather than the quest for vengeance which was the real core of the book.

This movie will have a limited but loyal audience for many years. It is sad that there will probably never be a DVD version in which the frames could be stopped to better understand the science involved.

Details

Country:

Brazil

Language:

English Portuguese Spanish

Release Date:

14 November 1992 (Japan)

Also Known As:

Exposure

Filming Locations:

Andes, Bolivia

Box Office

Gross USA:

$356,825

Company Credits

Production Co:

Alpha Filmes, J&M Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min 99 min (video)

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1