Smoke (1995)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Anthony L

  
  Interweaving storeys with a cigar shop as a central point that all the various characters have in common. An Intriguing and often random people study, highly recommended!

• Walter M

  
  [font=Century Gothic]"Smoke" takes place in 1990 in the mythical land of Brooklyn where Auggie(Harvey Keitel) is the proprietor of a neighborhood cigar store. One of his regular customers is Paul(William Hurt), a once famed novelist who has not been able to write anything… More
  [font=Century Gothic]"Smoke" takes place in 1990 in the mythical land of Brooklyn where Auggie(Harvey Keitel) is the proprietor of a neighborhood cigar store. One of his regular customers is Paul(William Hurt), a once famed novelist who has not been able to write anything since his pregnant wife was killed at a bank robbery some years before. Paul almost absentmindedly walks in front of a truck but is saved by Rashid(Harold Perrineau, Jr), a 16 year old in need of a place to crash.[/font] [font=Century Gothic][/font] [font=Century Gothic]"Crash" is overall not a bad movie but by using a disjointed story structure misses out on any grand commentary on the main theme of the brotherhood of man . Most of it feels improvised but with a cast like this, you cannot go far wrong. Stockard Channing is one of the few actors who retain their dignity while wearing an eye patch. I would have liked to have seen more of Forest Whitaker, though.[/font]

• Lesley N

  
  Literary film about a group of people, centred around a New York tobacconist and scripted by Paul Auster. You can tell an author wrote the script as there's lots of monologues and both Harvey Keitel and William Hurt get to tell stories during the film. All very erudite.

• Stephen E

  
  Reminiscent of some of Jim Jarmusch's work, "Smoke" is an incredibly touching motion picture that focuses on the lives of several different people. However, it does not connect them through action or circumstance like "Crash" or "Magnolia", but… More
  Reminiscent of some of Jim Jarmusch's work, "Smoke" is an incredibly touching motion picture that focuses on the lives of several different people. However, it does not connect them through action or circumstance like "Crash" or "Magnolia", but rather meanders between each of its characters and allows them just to... "talk". Simple as that. As a whole, the "talking" doesn't add up to much of anything, but individually, it speaks volumes. Not only is "Smoke" a magnificent character study, but a genuinely heartwarming movie. It leaves you delighted and deep in thought, reflecting upon past life experiences. When a film has the power to make you do that, you know it's good.

• Christopher B

  
  Awesome ensemble film with amazing performances and an intriguing story. Keitel's speech at the end is fantastic.