The Whistlers

The director orchestrates his action with slippery subtlety and droll humor, and he continually surprises on his way to an expressively non-verbal finale of light and music.

It has such a playful attitude toward genre...absurd but quite genuine.

Romanian film-maker Corneliu Porumboiu dispenses with the miserabilism associated with his country's cinema in this tart romp about a tangle of double crossings.

As deep as a puddle, but great fun in the moment.

It's as though in finally embracing genre conventions he previously spurned, [Corneliu] Porumboiu has thrown his arms around the whole of cinema.

Porumboiu's goal is more obvious - having fun, with a candy-brightness that fans of his low-key oeuvre may take a moment to adjust to.

Corneliu Porumboiu's The Whistlers is a tight, satisfying crime yarn - even if its small quirks and arthouse sheen sometimes get in the way of the good time its offering.

Ultimately Porumboiu's film is a complex but concise succession of double bluffs, dubious deals and difficult-to-predict characters...

A bizarre thriller full of brilliant ideas, absurd moments and well-timed outbursts of violence. [Full Review in Spanish]

[Fulfills] all the promises of the genre. [Full review in Spanish]