Customer Rating: 
Summary: If you liked 'In Bruges' you might like this
Comment: Having just seen 'In Bruges' I was reminded of this film I saw over fifteen years ago. It has a European feel to it, even though it is set in New York (I think ?). It has hit men, and is a very dark quirky film with hilarious moments in it. It also has the same kind of ending.
it just wish it would become available on region 2 as i've not seen it for so many years.
Customer Rating: 
Summary: First Hal Hartley I've seen...liked it!
Comment: At first I didn't really know how to take this film and was unsure what it was tying to be. Before too long I realised it was a good old 'film noir' with some off the wall characters, great dialogue and enough plot to keep me interested to the end.
The plot skirts around corrupt corporate activity that threatens to bring down a mystery business Mogul if discovered. Sprinkled in are sub-plots about the main characters, who all become involved in some way or another with the bad guys. Our characters all carry sizeable emotional baggage too; a Stunning French ex-porn actress desperate for revenge, an unshaven hack-lawyer hunted by the corporates he betrayed, an ex-nun virgin-nymphomaniac desperate to find the right man and an amnesiac
Gradually discovering his unsavoury past after waking 2 stories lower than he last remembered, on a bed of cobbles, broken glass and blood.
The storyline kept my interest right up until the end of the film, with a top secret floppy disk, torture by electric shock, shootings, chase in Grand Central Station (I think) and a head honcho only ever heard on the telephone, by which time I found myself genuinely interested in what happened to the characters and itching to find out just what the amnesiac had done in his past and how much he would or wouldn't change once he realised.
As with directors like the Coen Brothers the lives, quirks and personalities of the characters make up a big part of the film. Part of its charm - and the reason blockbuster lovers will hate it - is that the film uses this to tell the story rather than spelling out exactly what's going on with plot related
dialogue in an A-B-C fashion. This gives a feeling that the story is being told at face value through reactions of the characters to the situations in which they find themselves. This is neatly tied in with the lead character learning about his past and the plot at the same pace as the viewer.
There is great use of everyday language in out of the ordinary situations, some (deliberately?!) odd direction and cutting where characters appear from out of shot with little or no continuity, all of which made me notice the things that are going on a little more.
Overall I'd rate this as a great film to watch if you like to take your time soaking up the main characters and to be entertained by some off the wall scenes. It's not out and out whacky for the sake of it, but an interesting view for fans of the genre.
Customer Rating:
Summary: You have to see this film!
Comment: One of the best Hal Hartley films. It is so funny and the dialogue is sharp and stark. Favourite bit:- Will you sleep with me? I am a nymphomaniac.
- How many men have you slept with?
- None.
- How can you be a nymphomaniac if you have not slept with anyone?
- I am choosy.
![Amateur [1995]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41AVDVKMF1L._SL160_.jpg)
