More *REVIEWS* on "Cosmopolis" and Robert Pattinson...

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huge thanks to ROBsessed who once again, compiled all these reviews....!

from Shotgun Critic, 4 stars:

As an adaptation of the equally unapproachable novel by Don DeLillo, Cronenberg made a few very wise decisions early on. One, this is Robert Pattinson’s hands-down best role. In the hands of a very capable director and a punishing script, Pattinson turns in a performance that channels a young Robert De Niro, New York twang and all. His performance is so understated and brilliant that, during moments where he breaks through this Wall Street gloss, he comes across as truly unhinged and monstrous. This is a frightening performance in the best ways and points towards a hell of a career ahead for Pattinson.

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For one of the smartest films I’ve seen in a while, Cosmopolis is also one of the least outwardly enjoyable. That by no means makes it anything less than a great film however. But if you can stomach the loose poetry of the dialogue, heavy use of metaphor and occasionally lax pace, this will leave you thinking about its cultural commentary long after the curtains close.

from The Yorker (UK)

The casting of Pattinson as the quasi-psychopathic playboy may be a surprising move, but he delivers a magnetically credible performance. Packer is a curious creation, a man who views life through a mathematic prism, obsessed with control and perfection, terrified of abnormalities and who insists on having daily health check-ups. It would be easy to interpret him as a symbol of American capitalism, but Pattinson succeeds in bringing out the humanity of his character, particularly in one scene where he is struck with grief for the death of an idol. Samantha Morton, Juliette Binoche, Mathieu Amalric and Paul Giamatti are all also excellent, the latter especially in a nail-bitingly tense stand-off that seems to go on forever.

from Next Projection, 92/100:

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Where Pattinson may seem an unlikely addition to this elite club, he could scarcely be more suited to the role of Packer. Like Packer, Pattinson is more a name than a recognisable personality, a figure all know but few truly understand. In Pattinson’s every glance, every movement, every smile, there is the sense of a man coming to terms with whom and what he is. Packer’s shifting perspective on himself is far more understated than that of the world’s, and in this the true brilliance of both Pattinson and the film itself come to be revealed.

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This is Cronenberg returned to what he does best, delivering a film that stands both as a highlight of this year, and of its director’s work to date.

from The Age (AU) 8/10:

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In classic Cronenberg fashion, the film looks and feels absurdly clinical, plus there's a visually marked contrast between the dull sheen of Packer's limousine (essentially, a slow-moving penthouse on wheels) and the anarchic world outside, to which he no longer relates. Interestingly, despite delivering a robust turn as Packer, Pattinson agonised for days over how to turn Cronenberg down for the role. "I spent a week thinking, 'I know it's really good, it's Cronenberg, but you're in every scene.' What if I f--- it up?'' he told me at Cannes, following the film's world premiere there. Cronenberg's sixth sense went further, still: when they were shooting, the Occupy movement was barely in its infancy. Given the increasingly marked social divides, particularly in Europe, the film feels more relevant now than ever. And as a thoughtful essay on a man fighting for meaning within his hollow surrounds, it's riveting, poetic and thoroughly Cronenberg.

from Crikey (AU):

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The film is destined to be derided and misunderstood, and, deliciously, to thrust stray tweens into an idiot wind of confusion when it is realised that the prime-cut of Robert Pattinson’s surface values can’t possibly appease them. Not this time. Whether Cosmopolis was financed partly because of his involvement, or whether Cronenberg believed he was the best man for the job, or both, few can say. But yes: the Twilight smirk-maker is very good in a role that plays to his strengths

from Guestlist Network :

There is a superb final scene between Pattinson and Paul Giamitti, an artistic and tense tété-a-tété of morals and motivations including a memorable (if ruined by its inclusion in the trailer) bit of self mutilation. If only the rest of the movie were like this, it would certainly benefit. Still, Pattinson gives a terrific turn as the spoiled, empty-hearted but energetic Packer, and it's great seeing him getting his teeth into (ahem) something a bit more worth his time. And Cosmopolis is still an important statement of our times; it's just difficult to understand what that statement is.

from Scene 360:

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Pattinson has made a very conscious choice to direct his acting career away from the “Twilight” franchise, and squarely in that of renowned directors and more complicated material. He pulls this off to great effect, as the film leaves its leading man nowhere to hide in regards to his acting ability and screen presence.
“Cosmopolis” is not going to be for everyone. It is not a relaxing Friday night movie and it does have a tendency to lag by the beginning of the third act, though it does redeem itself in the final scenes. When the Cronenbergian violence does come, it’s a relief, if not an antidote to all the intricate multi-layered conversations that have preceded it. Love it or hate it, “Cosmopolis” is going to create a reaction and likely a source of many university film studies papers.

from The Reel Bits (AU) 3.5 stars:

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Robert Pattinson makes a complete break from his fangy persona, in a role that is more likely to repulse his legion of fans than it is to shock them. It is a measured performance, tightly under the rein of Cronenberg, but that is true of the rest of the cast as well. The stilted and existential conversations between Packer and a stream of business associates (including Samantha Morton), lovers (such as Juliette Binoche), wife of convenience (Sarah Gadon) and other professionals is as cold and calculated as his business dealings, at odds with the growing anarchy outside. As something resembling the Occupy movement mounts, and threats are made against Packer’s life, Packer is duly influenced, plunging himself into a personal chaos and spiral of self-destruction. Cosmopolis is a difficult film to penetrate, but this is only partly due to the deliberate way in which it was constructed. Cronenberg treads a fine line between portraying isolation and actually detaching his film completely from audiences, but his curious mixture of sci-fi sheen with real-world problems grounds Cosmopolis in a way that a surface scan may not reveal. The implication is that the corporate disengagement from reality is partly to blame for the financial crisis, but far more fundamental is the wider apathy that has allowed this to happen.

from Empire Online (AU):

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Frustrations but not catastrophes, praise must go to Pattinson’s terrific performance. A magnetic, mesmerising anti-presence, the perfect redeployment of the pin-up cheekbones of the R-Pattz myth. As the camera gazes deeper into his frozen face, we detect a concerto of tiny twitches, lurking smirks and trickles of sweat — micro-fluctuations in the sanity of a man who has everything.