Rating: 7/10
This is a commendable story but it is marred by a number of things. For one (as others have pointed out) there are far too many scenes focused in the darkness of the sewers where we just hear voices, glimpse obscured faces and see many rats scurrying about. None of this makes for engaging character development and it certainly does not add to the story-line. The only very well-played characters who give this movie strength are Robert Wiekiewicz (the sewer-man) and his wife. The other characters were ill-defined and seemed caricatures.
The plentiful darkened scenes beneath the city just serve to drag the film out and make it approach tediousness. The erotic scenes, of which there are quite a few, also detract with their titillation. Also in some of the close-ups, the characters inhabiting this underworld have surprisingly clean faces and well coiffed hair. In one episode, where they briefly emerge from the sewers, their clothes is surprisingly tatter-free and clean.
Some have compared this favourably to Schindler's List. I differ – the characters (aside from the two mentioned) are nowhere near the depth and impact, the storyline uneven and the film just too long.
This is a commendable story but it is marred by a number of things. For one (as others have pointed out) there are far too many scenes focused in the darkness of the sewers where we just hear voices, glimpse obscured faces and see many rats scurrying about. None of this makes for engaging character development and it certainly does not add to the story-line. The only very well-played characters who give this movie strength are Robert Wiekiewicz (the sewer-man) and his wife. The other characters were ill-defined and seemed caricatures.
The plentiful darkened scenes beneath the city just serve to drag the film out and make it approach tediousness. The erotic scenes, of which there are quite a few, also detract with their titillation. Also in some of the close-ups, the characters inhabiting this underworld have surprisingly clean faces and well coiffed hair. In one episode, where they briefly emerge from the sewers, their clothes is surprisingly tatter-free and clean.
Some have compared this favourably to Schindler's List. I differ – the characters (aside from the two mentioned) are nowhere near the depth and impact, the storyline uneven and the film just too long.