MovieChat Forums > Absence of Malice (1981) Discussion > Disappointing

Disappointing

posted 8 years ago by josephhowarth
10 replies | jump to latest

Tried watching this on the recommendation of people on IMDb. Gave it an hour and gave up. Maybe it's me but this film just felt like a drag. I really like newspaper based thrillers but this wasn't for me.

[–] ncdwbmk6 8 years ago

I wouldn't describe this as a "thriller." It's more of a character study and an exploration of "freedom of the press" vs. the effect on people's lives.

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Fowler's knots? Did you say ... fowler's knots?

[–] josephhowarth 8 years ago

That's possibly where I went wrong then I really like films like
All the presidents men
state of play
spotlight

Any suggestions on line with those?

[–] ncdwbmk6 8 years ago

I suggest asking on the general IMDB boards. (Click the "Message Boards" link at the top of this page.) Those boards get a lot more traffic then these, and many posters there are very knowledgeable.

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Fowler's knots? Did you say ... fowler's knots?

[–] josephhowarth 8 years ago

yeah I did and got directed to this film lol

[–] ncdwbmk6 8 years ago

:)

Of the films you listed, "All The President's Men (1976)" is the only one I've seen.

To approach this from another angle, why did you like that film better than Absence of Malice?

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Fowler's knots? Did you say ... fowler's knots?

[–] josephhowarth 8 years ago

Everything, the tension, the story, the acting. The feeling of being in the midst of a story and watching it develop and unfold.

[–] ncdwbmk6 8 years ago

You could look at the movies I've rated, and pick the highest rated ones. I have impeccable taste. 😀

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Fowler's knots? Did you say ... fowler's knots?

[–] tpupkin 8 years ago

Maybe try Shattered Glass?

Nowhere near as good but similar in subject matter to All the Presidents Men is a Jeremy Remner movie named Kill the Messenger.

My favorite part-investigative reporting movie is probably David Fincher's Zodiac.

[–] LTUM (1037) 5 years ago

[deleted]

[–] Etherdave (175) 4 years ago

That's fine. If you didn't like it you didn't like it. Frankly, I don't think any of the film's principals are taking it off their resumes anytime soon. As for critique, well... if you couldn't find the time to watch it through (fifty-three minutes more; I don't suppose you might have combined it with a meal, or something like that?), you might see how your critique might be considered... worthless. Right? Perhaps your disappointment might have been dispelled in the second or third act. I seem to recall a story about this Jewish couple running around on Christmas Eve about to have a baby, but without any hotel reservations. Dumb. Got better as it went, though.