DVD Review: End of Violence, The (C-)

The End of Violence (1997)
Directed by Wim Wenders
Staring Bill Pullman, Andie McDowell and Gabriel Byrne
MPAA: R
Grade: C-

Review by Scott Standish

Its a shame when your heroes falter, and lets face it, they all will as time goes on. Its inevitable but depressing none the less. In the music world, Elton John went from "Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting" to "That's What Friends Are For". In film, John Badham went from Saturday Night Fever to Short Circuit. Usually, once a talented visionary with credibility falters this bad, they never make it back to form.

Wim Wenders went from the breathtaking Wings of Desire to the rather pointless End of Violence and after watching the latter on DVD, I just felt depressed. I mean here is a filmmaker, a serious film maker, okay an artist, hell, some would even say a visionary- that is way too talented to be turning out an uneven film like End of Violence. Wenders made what many would agree are two of the most remarkable movies of the 1980's in Wings of Desire and Paris, Texas. How could he have stumbled so badly here?

The End Of Violence tells two overlapping stories, one of a Hollywood producer (Bill Pullman) that survives a hit squad, only to go undercover with a group of gardeners, and the other story of a top secret satellite surveillance expert (Gabriel Byrne) that witnessed parts of the event. Tossed into the mix is Pullman's unsatisfied wife (Andie McDowell) and Byrne's elderly father trying to advise his son (played by legendary Samuel Fuller).

The End of Violence is slow moving (as all Wenders films are), and at 122 minutes, it easily could have been edited down. There are some holes in the slow moving plot (the Kinko's scene is downright hilarious for multiple implausible actions) and the dialogue could have been punched up a little. This movie has some interesting ideas on technology, but they are just that, ideas, and despite the best efforts of Pullman and Gabriel Byrne here, the film ends up a meandering but thoughtful waste of two hours.

But here is the good news folks: Wenders didn't pull an Elton John here (John went from "That's What Friends Are For" to multiple renditions of "Candle In The Wind") - instead Wenders rebounded with a vengeance. Wenders moved on to create the absolutely mesmerizing Buena Vista Social Club just one year later. So, I guess its okay for our heroes to stumble now and then, the main thing to watch is how they respond. Wim Wenders remains one of the most interesting artists of our time, not only for his great work in the past, but for his ability to rebound with his credibility intact.

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