Anamorfose (2007)

A psychological thriller based on the concept of anamorphosis, a painting technique that manipulates the laws of perspective to create two competing images on a single canvas.

Director:

Henry Miller (as H.S. Miller)

Writers:

Henry Miller (as H.S. Miller), Tom Phelan

Stars:

Willem Dafoe, Scott Speedman, Don Harvey

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Willem Dafoe	...	Stan Aubray
Scott Speedman	...	Carl Uffner
Don Harvey	...	Killer
James Rebhorn	...	Chief Lewellyn Brainard
Peter Stormare	...	Blair Collet
Amy Carlson	...	Alexandra Fredericks
Yul Vazquez	...	Jorge 'George' Ruiz
Clea DuVall	...	Sandy Strickland
Samantha MacIvor	...	Crystal
Billy Wheelan	...	Young Man
Paz de la Huerta	...	Young Woman
Desiree Casado	...	Teenage Checkout Girl (as Desiree F. Casado)
Robert C. Kirk	...	Heavy-Set Detective
Robin Goldsmith	...	Stone-Faced Detective
Marcia Haufrecht	...	Diner Waitress

Storyline

Stan is a quiet, solitary detective in New York City. A few months ago, he solved a gruesome case of serial murders, although an undercover police officer lost her life. A new set of similar murders begins: the bodies are elaborately displayed and the killer uses equipment from art and early movie making in the tableau, or he leaves a clue as to where the investigators are to stand to get the full artistic effect. Stan is paired with a younger detective, Carl, whom he brushes off when Carl wants to get to know him. As pieces fall in place, it's a race to prevent the next killing, quite possibly someone close to Stan.

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Plot Keywords:

murder | detective | anamorphosis | police | painting | 

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Taglines:

Madness. Mayhem. Mutilation. The masterwork of a serial killer.

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Genres:

Crime | Horror | Thriller

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Certificate:

M/16

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 August 2008 (Netherlands)

Also Known As:

Anamorfose

Filming Locations:

81 Hudson Street, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$3,120, 20 April 2008, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$5,912, 4 May 2008

Company Credits

Production Co:

Kamala Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

107 min

Sound Mix:

SDDS Dolby Digital DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

When Stan meets his former partner, he rolls down the window of his car on the passenger's's side. During this scene the height of he window is changes in every shot.

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Quotes

Killer: A poison harms.
Stan: What?
Killer: A poison harms. It certainly does. You should know that - you've been poisoning yourself for years. Now that you've seen my work, I want some feedback. You and I both like the color blue, a pigment that was once quite precious. It's also the color of narcissism.

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Soundtracks

Lazy Things
Written by Wendy Case
Performed by The Paybacks

User Reviews

Beautiful Cinematography, Suspenseful Plot, Unsatisfactory Ending

This movie is great up until the ending. The cinematography is great, the acting is top-notch and the plot and storyline keep you guessing and on edge till the end.

The end is a terrible let down for an otherwise superb production. Its like they ran out of ideas and money at the same time. Or maybe there is a producer to blame.

I would definitely recommend watching this movie even with the poor ending. I was reminded several times of the movie S7ven. Willem Dafoe's character is extremely meticulous as was Morgan Freedman's character. Other common elements: Both movies have young detectives partnering with soon to retire detectives. Both movies have a seemingly omnipotent serial killer always three steps ahead of the detectives, baiting them along and watching from the background. Both movies rely upon arcane literature and art to understand the villain's human "paintings."

I could continue to list common elements in both movies however I don't want to give anyone the impression that this is a knock-off of S7ven--its not. Rather its like reading a detective story written by the same author with different characters. If you liked S7ven I think you will like this movie. Just don't expect any great surprises.

The biggest difference between S7ven and this film is the ending. S7ven had an incredible, mind-boggling ending while Ananmorph ended like a candle blown out leaving the viewer in the dark and unsatisfied.