Watch I, Anna For Free

hyped garbage

How sad is this?

If you like to be scared, if you like to laugh, and if you like to learn a thing or two at the movies, this absolutely cannot be missed.

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties.

I, Anna tells the story of a blossoming relationship between a middle-aged divorcee and a Chief Inspector investigating a murder. The two meet near the crime scene and the detective quickly finds himself enamored with this charming woman. As our story unfolds, it soon becomes clear that Anna is not the woman that she appears to be.This movie is a slow-burner that takes a little bit of patience to get into. Once the movie picks up momentum though, it is a rather enjoyable experience. The acting of the two leads is great, I'd expect nothing less from these two. And the presence of Eddie Marsan is appreciated, he's wonderful as always. These great actors, combined with a wonderful backdrop (I really felt the London-ness of it all), a good soundtrack, and a serviceable direction by Southcombe, make this movie work on some level.The twist was something that I saw coming. The fact that we never see her daughter/granddaughter interact with anybody but Anna or that when we see Anna walking the stroller, we never get a view of the baby, made me realize that something was clearly amiss. As it becomes clear that Anna is our murderer, it was easy to tell that Anna had some type of psychological issue. I think Southcombe could have done with out the stroller-walking scene and made the twist a tad less obvious.It's not a perfect movie but as far as neo-noirs go, there are a ton of terrible ones out there that this one far surpasses. It's nice to see the noir genre get an older female femme fatale who doesn't meet the stereotype of the archetype.

Charlotte Rampling stars in I, Anna from 2012, directed by her son Barnaby Southcombe, who also wrote the screenplay.It's the rather disjointed, noir-ish story of a woman, Anna (Rampling) and her relationship with a police detective Bernie Reid (Gabriel Byrne) who is searching for a killer. He becomes obsessed with Anna, who is attractive, sexy, divorced, with a daughter and granddaughter.Charlotte Rampling has always been a unique actress. She's kind of a modern-day Lauren Bacall, androgynous, a wonderful actress who has allowed herself to age like a normal human being. Here she shows her sexuality and her beauty as the audience learns more and more about her.The film skips around a lot and can be confusing at times. There is also a character, a young guy, who has no reason to be in the movie at all. Not only is his subplot not developed, we never find out how it ends.Actually we don't find out how anything ends in this film. We think that someone is going to explain everything that went on but they don't. If the photography is strange, it's also beautifully done. There's no question that Barnaby Southcombe has talent; it just needs to be developed a little more. With a better script and with all the fine actors in the film, this could have been a knockout.

I didn't like it at all, I kept unmoved and bored. And, after reading the fact that the film director was Rampling's son, I understood everything... Awfully bad directed. Not even an actor of the calibre of Mr Byrne can save this movie from being a bad version of a film noir. Sorry for Ms Rampling but even her was not convincing at all. I also spotted a scene at a beach where the sea was just a theatre set! That was really bad. There was a static view of the sea just behind the figure of Ms Rampling. I was so distracted by this fact that I had to rewind a little to see if I lost anything from the plot. Won't recommend it.

The erroneous synopsis to this stylish if slightly flawed thriller, does not do the intricate, complex story the justice it deserves. Barnaby Southcombe's debut feature is an adaption of Elsa Lewin's dark novel of the same name. Shot in various locations around London, it unravels the story of the relationship between a high ranking detective (Gabriel Byrne) investigating the murder of a no good low life, and a middle aged divorcée, Charlotte Rampling, with whom he develops a potentially damaging obsession. The film unfolds slowly but is worth the wait. The film engages the viewer as the pace quickens and story intensifies and things just gets better and better. Strong performances from the two stars as one would expect. A wonderful vehicle for Charlotte Rampling to prove a woman over 50 can be just as sexy and alluring as any 25 year old, she is totally convincing as the fragile, complex protagonist. And a real treat to have Eddie Marsan on screen, every film is improved by his presence, never puts a foot wrong, superb. London is a stylish but never overwhelming backdrop to this pleasing contemporary film noir. And a cracking soundtrack too...