Dust (2001) Reviews

• Wow!

  the_artist_formerly_known_as2004-01-01

  After having read some reviews of 'Dust' I was not sure if I wanted to see it or not. However, the "David Wenham infatuation" prevailed in the end, and I went as far as to actually purchase the film. It was money well spent, you could say. While the movie would not appeal to general audiences, it left me awestruck. I ended up watching it again, on the same night. "Wow" is how I describe feeling after the credits rolled (the first and the second time). I don't want to spoil anything for those who have not seen the movie, so I'll just stick to my reactions to it. There was laughter, there were tears, there might have been an "eww" once or twice, there were definitely lustful thoughts of David Wenham (he's rather cute, you know). Acting was superb, though I'd like a few words with the 'dialect coach' (hint: the leads are not American). All in all, a great movie. I highly recommend seeing it at least once.

  More

• The Power of Myth

  artzau2003-11-22

  There is only one detracting review and the reviewer doesn't appear to know what he's talking about. He didn't like it. OK. Let's go on. The rest of us did. Why? One reviewer says it exactly, "I...kept thinking about it [the film]...the next day..." This is a touching piece of cinema. Why? Visually, it's a delight: from the beginning sleazy scenes of the Big Apple, to the black and white Wild, wild West and the colorful Macedonian landscape. The costumes are wonderful, the violence is graphic and realistic in all its gore. The tale unfolds in several parts which only partially come together, like a mosaic of interspersed stories, each with its own motif and twist. The realism transcends mere realism to a state of surrealism at various points. There are several archetypical elements that appear and reappear, heroes, antiheroes, shapeshifters, threshold guardians, dragons,etc., and the mythic journey proceeds on two levels-- indeed, the past is tied to the present and the future by the power of myth. The old queen dies and her spirit is resurrected in the transference of the magic elixir, the power of freedom, to her heir, a would-be robber and assassin. The images of the planes, both old and new, flying across the sky adds to the metaphor of the flight of spirit. I can see why this film was not well received. Its far too cerebral and transcends its very own violence with all its blood, guts [literally] and gore by ascending into the psyche where all of us fear to tread. As nearly all the reviewers record here, this is one hell of a fine film and piece of art.

  More

• A film with more good ideas than most

  dazzerse132004-09-25

  It's unusual a film will have as many good ideas as this and so many striking ideas and images and still not be a success. Perhaps it's because there are simply too many striking visuals and set-pieces - other directors would have built whole films around just one or two of the concepts contained here - for one film to cope with all of them. Essentially, the story is of a burglar (Lester) who breaks into a house of an old woman (Murphy) in New York and she tells him the story of American cowboys (Fiennes and Wenham) in the Ottoman Empire in Macedonia and their tangled fraternal love/hatred when confronted with a beautiful woman. It's a story that dips in and out of narrative timelines. Sometimes it's New York and sometimes it's the Old west and sometimes it's old Macedonia - and sometimes it's bits of all of them. And sometimes it's just fantasy. Reality, illusion, truth and cinematic deception are all part of the mix. Director Machevski is not here to give the viewer an easy ride. He is an intelligent man and he expects intelligence of his viewers. However, in return he offers some beautiful images that pay homage to spaghetti westerns while adding a sly twist of knowing humour. It's violent, but there's a blackly funny element to it that's closer to life than the comic-book stock-in-trade of such directors as Tarantino (and rightly so, Macedonians have seen more real-life warfare than most Hollywood filmmakers).And despite this, it's a movie that's life-affirming (not in the easy way - you really have to like life to have it affirmed here). The performances are variable. Wenham and Fiennes have both done better in the past and you have to hope they'll do better in the future. But in Lester and Murphy, there are two actors who are in full command of the camera. There's not an emotion you'll feel that they haven't carefully worked to create. Simply beautiful work. With a greater distribution, this is would have built a considerable cult following. Not easy-going, pop-corn-chomping stuff, but highly recommended.

  More

• A story about storytelling

  QueenofBean2004-01-26

  When we first put Dust into the DVD player and the film started, I wondered if maybe the video-rental store put the wrong dvd in the case. As the story progressed, I was enamored by the brilliant execution of story within story within story. The world needs more films like this, with semi-unfamiliar faces who don't need to work so hard convincing us that they are indeed this character they portray. This is one of those films people will still be talking about in 25 years; a monumental masterpiece that broke the grounds in straightforward plot-telling!!

  More

• Really Amazing Movie...

  AmandaSmile2004-01-09

  If you look past some of the annoying factors (accents, gore, ect...) and let yourself get lured into the storyline of this this movie it is truly amazing. I rented this film thinking it would be just another filler of my time and I was blown away by the complexity of the story and quality of camera work. It was definitely a keeper in my book, I bought it immediately. I hope others will give this one a chance and also become enchanted in the storytelling aspect represented here. It is completely fulfilling to the end.

  More