The End of Violence (1997)

27% of critics liked it
(33 reviews)
41% of users liked it
(2,331 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 success… 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

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Rating, Runtime: R, 2 hr. 2 min.
Directed By: Wim Wenders
Written By: Nicholas Klein
Genres: Drama, Art House & International, Mystery & Suspense

In Theaters: Sep 12, 1997 Wide
On DVD: Mar 28, 2000
Studio: MGM

Critic Reviews

Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail
A longwinded exercise in pretentious confusion.
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.
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
Doesn't seem sure what it is about, or how it is about it.
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.
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.
Stephen Holden, New York Times
With The End of Violence Mr. Wenders has made a film as resonant as his most memorable work.
Michael Dequina, TheMovieReport.com
A disjointed mess where a lot goes on but nothing happens.
Dan Fienberg, Zap2it.com
Boring, incoherent and insultingly didactic. It's like Wenders has never been to America, never observed Americans and never even seen an American movie.
Rich Cline, Shadows on the Wall
astonishing but uneven
Wade Major, Boxoffice Magazine
Wenders' observations and subtextual commentary about violence in American society are well-served by the nuances of Nicholas Klein's script.
Pablo Villaca, Cinema em Cena
A trama principal se perde em um emaranhado de cenas que, rigorosamente, nada acrescentam ao filme.
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice
A sophisticated and pensive film about a subject that fills contemporary movies and fuels our fantasies.
Alex Ramirez, Cinenganos
Las respuestas quedan flotando en el espectador, esperando ser rescatadas y entendidas.

Read all 13 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Anthony L

Everyone makes mistakes. Wenders, a brilliant film director, made a huge one with The End of Violence. Convoluted nonsense, I'm sure it looked great on paper but the reality is that this is an awful film. Oops!
Anthony V

Adventures in paranoia.
Christopher B

Interesting Wenders film that really defied my expectations. A great character piece and drama.