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Surprisingly incoherent and boring

A Masterpiece!

Funny, strange, confrontational and subversive, this is one of the most interesting experiences you'll have at the cinema this year.

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

Marcel Marx is an old man making his day to day living by shoe polishing. He lives with his wife. He cannot make a living out this job, he cannot make both ends meet. Though his economic condition was pathetic, the essence of human feelings was present in him. He has to send his wife to the hospital to cure her illness. She doesn't want him to know that there was no cure for the disease. Meanwhile, a patrolling officer hear some sound in the container that was due in shipment. The officers open the container and finds illegal African immigrants trying to escape to London. Only a boy escapes from them. As a course of fate, he gets united with Marx. Marx tries his best to send him to London, so that the boy can unite with his mother. Marx spends all his savings, in addition, he earns more money from other ways... just to send the boy to London. The climax reminds me of the evergreen classic "Casablanca".Aki Kaurismäki is one of the favorite names among the real film lovers. His films are really different from others. He has his own path of film making. This movie has a lot of still frames, the camera rarely moves, yet the frames are amazing and stunning. The handling of lighting is remarkable. I think reference to the golden films of the 60's. Set design and careful selection of the colors are all lessons for aspiring film makers and students. There a philosophy in each frame.If you are a real film lover, or a film student, this is a must watch movie.#KiduMovie

This was one of the most visually stunning films I've ever seen. You could pause very nearly every shot and use it as screensaver or make a large print of it; that's how beautiful and well thought out they are. Aki Kaurismäki evokes a sense of times past. He embraces the 'unreality' of his film, and the genre as a whole, and plays it up with great wit and art. As mentioned by previous reviews, he combines tragedy and comedy seamlessly into an extremely enjoyable and engaging film that doesn't try to pass itself off as life and as such engages on much deeper levels than its straightforward message or story would perhaps imply.There are so many small details and well-thought out quirks here that keep your attention that it easily accommodates for my internet fried attention span, even while the director chooses not to openly deal with the electronic world. It's a decision indicative of the thoughtful and unique approach to the film; it aids both the storyline and the viewer's experience immensely. I was grateful and relieved to be taken away into a simpler and more honest world; both in the film's outward image, and within the story's universe. Its worth emphasising; this film doesn't try to masquerade as real life and as such allows for a much purer enjoyment. You don't have to worry about checking your expectations once the end credits roll.Being beautifully shot may not have kept my attention for an hour and half, but the storyline and Kaurismäki's wit certainly did.

This is reminiscent of Marcel Pagnol's great trilogy Marius, Fanny, Cesar, which was also set in a French port. There are, of course, close to a thousand miles separating Marseilles in the South from Le Havre in the north but both are imbued with a strong sense of community and both address the realities of life and both furnish happy endings. Very little happens here - a group of illegal immigrants are discovered in a container on the docks; one, a young boy, runs away and is befriended by a man who shines shoes for a living; the man's wife develops a terminal illness. A great deal of film time is spent eating, drinking,and talking. The shoeshine man organises a concert to raise money to pay for the boy's illegal passage to England, he visits his wife in hospital. A police Inspector who investigates crime rather than illegal immigrants circles in the background. The boy gets away, the man's wife recovers. It's not unlike lifting a pebble in a rock pool and examining the life going on there. It's a beautiful film, finely acted by an ensemble cast virtually unknown with the exception of the magnificent Jean-Pierre Darroussin as the policeman.

A well dressed man with an attache' case handcuffed to his wrist has his shoes shined and then walks toward a train platform and we hear a scream. the man who has polished his loafers is Marcel, who tells a nearby friend that they better leave before the law arrive and ask questions.Marcel then is forcefully evicted for plying his trade in front of a store and continues his rounds, finally stopping for bread on his way home to his wife and dog. Before dinner, he takes mans best friend for a walk and visits a local bar for a night cap.Next, a group of police officers and Red Cross workers arrive at a shipping container and when it is opened they discover a group of black immigrants stowed away inside. A small boy runs from them and escapes. Marcel sees him under a bridge and offers him food and water. Unfortunately, the officials are nearby and ask Marcel if he has seen the escapee and he says no.Back to the bar where Marcel has a conversation with his friend, Chang about his legal status. Chang tells him that he was easily able to purchase fake identification papers in order to remain in France.Marcel's wife is admitted to the hospital for tests for severe abdominal pain and when her husband returns home he finds the runaway hiding there. He feeds Idrissa, and the child tells him that he is on his way to England to reunite with his mother.A nosy neighbor looking out his window sees the hideaway and calls the police. A woman friend, Yvette, agrees to hide and take care of Idrissa while Marcel travels to Calais to a refugee camp and the boys grandfather tells him that his daughter is in London and has a good job there.In the meantime, the law is in hot pursuit of the dangerous little criminal, who has made the local press. Marcel arranges for a boat to transport Idrissa to Britain but needs $3,000 Euros. The townspeople rally together for a benefit concert to raise the cash. The conclusion is somewhat sentimental but can be overlooked for the positive redeeming message of this film.