The End of Violence (1997)
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27% of critics liked it
(33 reviews) -
41% of users liked it
(2,359 ratings)
Wim Wenders directed this allegorical drama about the emotional impact of violence in our culture, set against the backdrop of California's entertainment business. Mike Max (Bill Pullman) is a Hollywood producer who has earned a great deal of money and power in the film industry through his… More Wim Wenders directed this allegorical drama about the emotional impact of violence in our culture, set against the backdrop of California's entertainment business. Mike Max (Bill Pullman) is a Hollywood producer who has earned a great deal of money and power in the film industry through his success with a series of brutally violent action pictures. While Max can juggle any number of tasks while working, he can't find time for his wife Paige (Andie MacDowell), and when she announces that she's divorcing him, he admits to himself (but not to her) that he deliberately put her through emotional trauma; Paige leaves to do volunteer work in the Third World, hoping to bring new meaning to her life. Very little reaches Max on an emotional level until Cat (Traci Lind), a stunt performer, is seriously injured on the set of Max's latest project. Not long after, Max is first car-jacked, then kidnapped by a pair of desperate thugs. He escapes and is given shelter by a group of Mexican-American gardeners. Wanting to retreat from the physical and spiritual violence that has become a key part of his life, Max opts to work with the gardening crew and stay away from his old life, remaining "missing" in the eyes of the world as he searches for a new life. Meanwhile, Max and his secretary Claire (Rosiland Chao) become aware of a secret plan that Ray Bering (Gabriel Byrne) has prepared for the city of Los Angeles, which will essentially put the entire town under constant surveillance, with the goal of ending violent crime once and for all. Frederic Forrest, Udo Kier, and legendary director Samuel Fuller also star; Ry Cooder composed the film's striking original score. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Directed By
- Wim Wenders
- Written By
- Wim Wenders, Nicholas Klein
- Genres
- Drama, Art House & International, Mystery & Suspense
R,
- In Theaters
- Sep 12, 1997 Wide
- Studio
- MGM
Critic Reviews
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Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail
A longwinded exercise in pretentious confusion.
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Andrew O'Hehir, Salon.com
A muddled, sentimental Euro-American hash, redeemed here and there from its fatal purposelessness by a few moments that remind us we're in the presence of a genuine cinematic visionary.
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Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
Doesn't seem sure what it is about, or how it is about it.
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Jeff Millar, Houston Chronicle
This goes on for two hours and two minutes. When I staggered out of the theater, I asked if Clinton was still president.
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James Berardinelli, ReelViews
Offers viewers opportunities to ponder a variety of diverse subjects, but its overall entertainment value is less than one might hope for.
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Cast
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Bill Pullman
as Mike Max
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Andie MacDowell
as Paige Stockard
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Gabriel Byrne
as Ray Bering
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Marshall Bell
as Sheriffe Call
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Daniel Benzali
as Brice Phelps
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Enrique J. Castillo
as Ramon
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Rosalind Chao
as Claire
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Loren Dean
as Doc Block
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John Diehl
as LowellLewis
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Frederic Forrest
as Ranger MacDermot
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Udo Kier
as Zoltan Kovacs
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Traci Lind
as Cat
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Henry Silva
as Juan Emilio
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Pruitt Taylor Vince
as Frank Cray
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Samuel Fuller
as Louis Bering
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Peter Horton
as Brian
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Nicole Ari Parker
as Kenya
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K. Todd Freeman
as Six
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Mili Avital
as Featured Performer
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Marisol Padilla Sanchez
as Mathilda
- Chris Douridas
- Soledad St. Hilaire
- Tracy Lind
