The Cry of the Owl (2010)

I just finished watching this movie for the SECOND time...I knew I had seen it a while ago, but I couldn't quite remember what was going to happen. MAN, what a Suspenser! The mood, the style, the Suspense... The director frigg'n NAILED it. The look, the writing, the performances were all top notch.I remember when I saw this the first time that I didn't really care for the lead guy too much; he was really just SO annoying because he didn't seem to be able to communicate with others at all. VERY frustrating... But, as the film progresses you begin to see other sides to him and he is not at all as self-absorbed and one dimensional as one may have thought.Talk about PSYCHOLOGICAL... I think this is just about as psychological as a Thriller can get, unless of course you venture into Horror territory where you have masterful films like 'SESSION 9', for example. The characters are well portrayed. When Julia Styles and Paddy first meet it is amazing; I would think that it would be very DIFFICULT to do a scene like that and be CONVINCING, enough to draw the audience into the story as much as it did. And then, when you first meet Paddy's almost ex-wife... Talk about a mind-bender. You are seeing some absolutely first rate writing, directing, and acting here, let me tell you...Normally, speaking very broadly, I do not usually care for films like this; where happenstance, fate, or whatEVER draws these innocent people into this web of disaster, no matter what they do. BUT... in this case, the film is done SO damn well that you truly have NO choice but to ride along, gripping your @ss the whole time, hoping and praying for the best. That is, unless you happen to be one of these vacuous reviewers here who are so jaded, bored, and clueless, that they wouldn't know a good film if it went down on them (so to speak...)Seriously....Bottom line... this is an exceptionally well done film with Suspense and Tension dripping out of every orifice (the film's, not yours...) It will take you and smack you around until you bloody well beg for mercy...

I was drawn into this film by the uneasy feeling that the central characters were being drawn into a slow-sucking situational quicksand, an experience that for most of us only happens in nightmares.If you prefer snappy pace and predictability in your films, move on. As the other reviews indicate, you either really like this film, or really dislike it for any number of reasons. At times I wanted to grab the "hero" by the shoulders and give him a shake to snap him out of his apparent lassitude. At that point I realized the movie was working for me, I was invested emotionally. Casting stays refreshingly clear of stereotypes with not a "pretty boy" in sight, and direction, performances and technical credits are mostly right on the mark.This picture would have done so much better at the box office if it had let the potential audience know that Patricia Highsmith was the author of Hitchcock's "Strangers on a Train." For those of us not familiar with Highsmith's work, the title "The Cry of the Owl" is just too far removed from the essence of this film to be a draw.So when you have the opportunity to see this film, relax, put your feet up and watch the first ten or so minutes. If you fall asleep, or find your mind turning towards undone kitchen tasks, then get back to "Jersey Shore" or whatever else gives your entertainment rush. If this film passes the ten-minute endurance test, you'll find it evolves into 100 minutes of compelling entertainment, destined to linger in the dark crannies of your mind for longer than you might expect.

Mathilda May won a César for her role in this film made by Claude Chabrol in 1987. This is a remake, and it stars Julia Stiles in the role of Jenny. I have been in love with Stiles ever since The Bourne Identity, and, while she will not be as good as May, she is still Julia Stiles, and that's enough for me.Robert's (Paddy Considine) marriage has failed, and his method of dealing with depression is to stalk Jenny, thinking she has a great relationship with her partner.The tables get turned, and she begins stalking him. If that is not enough, her boyfriend Greg (James Gilbert) keeps trying to kick his arse. But, then he disappears, and Robert is under suspicion.Twists and turns abound as Robert tries to figure out who is trying to kill him while everyone thinks he is a killer.The owl cries a lot in the film. I'm just not impressed with Considine, and the ending was abrupt.

Yea this was a waste of time. Though Paddy Considine did a fairly good job of bringing some life to the film via some decent acting, the overall pace and unbelievable plot aspects keep the film on a downward spiral ending in a climax more of a whimper than a bang.Of note is the lackadaisical way in which this adaptation took key elements of the novel and pretty much left them in the book. And as mentioned above, the lack of believability in certain scenes ruined the suspension of disbelief of this reviewer. Examples (spoiler free) are of characters acting how no one ever would, police behaving moronically, and the sensation that Paddy's character is so much a whip that he deserves anything he gets.My advice, don't wast any money on this one.