The End of Violence (1997)

Mike is a successful Hollywood producer of violent movies. Then he himself experiences extreme violence, goes missing, joins some Latino gardeners and reviews his life.

Director:

Wim Wenders

Writers:

Nicholas Klein (story), Wim Wenders (story)

Stars:

Traci Lind, Rosalind Chao, Bill Pullman

1 win & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Traci Lind	...	Cat
Rosalind Chao	...	Claire
Bill Pullman	...	Mike Max
Andie MacDowell	...	Paige Stockard
K. Todd Freeman	...	Six O One
Gabriel Byrne	...	Ray Bering
Chris Douridas	...	Technician
Pruitt Taylor Vince	...	Frank Cray
John Diehl	...	Lowell Lewis
Soledad St. Hilaire	...	Anita
Nicole Ari Parker	...	Ade Kenya (as Nicole Parker)
Daniel Benzali	...	Brice Phelps
Samuel Fuller	...	Louis Bering (as Sam Fuller)
Marshall Bell	...	Sheriff Call
Frederic Forrest	...	Ranger MacDermot

Storyline

Mike Max is a Hollywood producer who became powerful and rich thanks to brutal and bloody action films. His ignored wife Paige is close to leaving him. Suddenly Mike is kidnapped by two bandits, but escapes and hides out with his Mexican gardener's family for a while. At the same time, surveillance expert Ray Bering is looking for what happens in the city, but it is not clear what he wants. The police investigation for Max's disappearance is led by detective Doc Block, who falls in love with actress Cat who is playing in ongoing Max's production.

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Plot Keywords:

man tied up | bound and gagged | father son relationship | murder investigation | griffith observatory | 

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Taglines:

Nothing Lasts Forever

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Genres:

Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language

Did You Know?

Trivia

Director Wim Wenders re-edited his film after the Cannes Film Festival premiere to improve the narrative structure.

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Goofs

When Page is holding Mike at gunpoint she holds the gun upward with the bottom of the handle facing outward and the ammo clip is clearly missing. Yet when Mike exits through the patio door she fires the gun and shatters the glass.

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Quotes

Six O One: Yo, madam Max. I'm supposed to tell you to hand over the computer and cooperate with the powers that be but you know that's not exactly my style. I say just take your own sweet time, madam Max. It's a cold world out here, even in the sun. You're a beautiful lady. You stay warm.

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Connections

Featured in At the Movies: The Best Films of 1997 (1998)

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Soundtracks

Every Time I Try
Written by Josh Haden
Performed and Produced by Spain
Courtesy of Restless Records, by arrangement with Warner
Special Products

User Reviews

Such beauty...!

This is an astounding movie, and as others have noted, it is precisely the kind of movie that passes most people by because it rocks so gently as to be almost imperceptible.

The first time I saw this, I was disappointed. 'Until the End of the World', to me, is a brilliant piece of work, with more beauty, reverie, and complexity than any ten average films put together.

So...I was ready for some heady stuff with 'End'. But the movie seemed to be lost, missing in action.

But six months later I watched it on video, and I realized I was looking at an entirely different movie.

Then I watched it again...and again, and again, until I'd seen the thing ten times, including one where I only listened to the film, to see if I was simply addicted to Wim's luminous visuals.

What you realize is that this film is cooking up some very threatening ideas about the quality and nature of love, and the companion six degrees of violence and hatred. It is really about the way in which fear and love pulse in contrary and similar ways, much like particle and wave, dancing together.

It's also a fantastic critique the "confederacy of dunces" and the manner in which we manufacture enemies to suit our paranoia.

I must say that there are few directors that move me as much as Wim Wenders, and I have to confess that I have cried many times over the beauty and grace of some of the scenes and visuals in this movie. Much like Robert Altman or Atom Egoyan, Wenders cares about people, believes in their struggles, and he creates tension that moves them, at least temporarily, to understand their natures more fully.

A masterpiece, if a masterpiece means your heart moves even slightly...

PS Ry Cooder's soundtrack is brilliant!

Details

Country:

France Germany USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

12 September 1997 (USA)

Also Known As:

The End of Violence

Filming Locations:

Griffith Observatory, 2800 E Observatory Rd, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$5,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$386,673

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$386,673

Company Credits

Production Co:

CiBy 2000, Kintop Pictures, Road Movies Filmproduktion

Technical Specs

Runtime:

122 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1