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9 out of 11 people found the following comment useful :-
Carradine's best since Kill Bill, 14 helmikuu 2009
10/10
Author: Steamroller_Blues from Germany

Absolute Evil is Carradine's best film since Kill Bill. And that is strange, because Absolute Evil is very much along the lines of Tarentino's narrative. The good becomes the bad and the bad turns good. Evil is a complex force in this fascinating twist of film noir and horror film and suspense thriller. The film itself is a love declaration to the horror genre, and pumps new life in it. And Ulli Lommel, who also wrote and directed, is terrific as the Private Eye that tortures a killer. The film is short and sweet. 80 minutes of inspired suspense, and a total departure from Lommel's previous low-budget true-crime horror flicks.

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10 out of 14 people found the following comment useful :-
A tribute to Fassbinder, 14 helmikuu 2009
10/10
Author: elvis-fan from Europe

"I only want you to love me" is the title of a Fassbinder movie. Ulli Lommel, who once was Fassbinder's partner in many movies, seems to have adapted this slogan for his main characters.

Whether it's his cult hit "Tenderness of the Wolves" (1973) or his bizarre serial killer series with Lionsgate in the U.S., all his main characters seem to scream the same desire.

In "Absolute Evil" David Carradine, who plays the angry leader of the 17th Street gang, yearns for love, but doesn't know how to give it. The film is an homage to all film noires, all suspense thrillers, especially from the 1940s. The story moves along like a cool spider web, slowly but steadily grabbing you by the tail and sucking you up in its horrific universe of revenge, torture, redemption and murder.

It's one of the best indie low-budget films I have seen in years. How the hell can I get my hands on a DVD? Who's releasing this gem?

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9 out of 13 people found the following comment useful :-
A must see, 9 helmikuu 2009
Author: nko_123 from Finland

I saw "Absolute Evil' at Berlin International Film Festival in Zoo Palast theater. The premiere and the next screening of the movie were sold out and it's one of the biggest theaters - if not the biggest - in Berlin. It had a great review on a German magazine so I wanted to see it and I was lucky enough to get the ticket.

"Absolute Evil' is simply the best film Ulli Lommel has made since 1980s. And the important thing is that it proofs that the director still has his talent after all these serial killer movies and everything.

The movie tells a story about Savannah (Carolyn Neff) who's boyfriend Cooper (Rusty Joiner) gets killed after she finds out who Cooper really is. She wants to find out the killer of Cooper, and things leads to the old leader of 17th street gang, Raf (David Carradine). I don't want to tell too much about the movie, so that's all I say about the story.

There is some great performances by the actors. Neff is beautiful, believable and good in her first big film role, Joiner gives a touching performance and the "old stars" Christopher Kriesa, Ulli Lommel and David Carradine are as good as always. It's nice to see that Carradine has made at least one good movie after "Kill Bill" films.

It's a must see and it was b-e-a-u-t-i-f-u-l on the big screen in a theater with 1,000 people.

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10 out of 15 people found the following comment useful :-
I saw it in Berlin, 9 helmikuu 2009
10/10
Author: FassbinderFan85 from Europe

The film played at Berlinale film festival in Berlin and the premiere was on February 8th. I got the ticket to the premiere the day before and later I heard that the screening was sold out!

It's a nice movie about love, hate, forgiveness and murder. The main roles are played by new talents like Carolyn Neff and Rusty Joiner, but there is also 'veteran actors' like Ulli Lommel, Chris Kriesa and David Carradine. I think Lommel makes his best performance in years plus Kriesa and Carradine were great choices to their roles such as Neff and Joiner.

I hope it will be released on DVD soon, so I can buy it!

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5 out of 7 people found the following comment useful :-
Reinventing the thriller, 17 helmikuu 2009
10/10
Author: jackierebling from Germany

It was a great surprise to see ABSOLUTE EVIL at the Berlin Film Festival. At first I had reservations, because I did not like Lommel's recent horror flicks. But with this thrilling and inspiring film noir he returns to the formidable strength of his earlier works like BOOGEYMAN and TENDERNESS OF THE WOLVES. I overheard people at the festival in Berlin comparing it to Quentin Tarentino's work, some even suggested it was a rip-off, but I totally disagree. ABSOLUTE EVIL is one of the most entertaining films I have seen in a long time, but you need to have brains and be able to speak English fluently in order to enjoy this film. It is not a dumb horror flick. The story is about love, forgiveness, redemption and revenge. And David Carradine as aging gang leader is a special treat. When the film is released, try to watch the original version. Highly recommendable!

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4 out of 6 people found the following comment useful :-
David Carradine deserves an Oscar!, 19 helmikuu 2009
10/10
Author: FredLemans from United States

Maybe not for this film, but certainly for KILL BILL and KILL BILL 2. But even in this one, just watch him do his thing. There's nobody out there who can match his skills, maybe Al Pacino, maybe Sean Penn, but boy, what a revelation this man is. He lives his part, at least in this film, he IS Raf McKane, leader of the 17th Street gang, he breathes Raf, suffers Raf. His quiet anger, his reservoir of emotions and little things he does. Acting classes of the world, study this man! Maybe it was the rapport the director had with him, I don't know, but Carradine's getting better and better with age, like a great wine. It must be in his DNA. have you ever seen his dad, John Carradine, in John Ford's "Stagecoach"? But David's a renegade, and Hollywood doesn't like rebels. Just look at what they did with Brando. or Chaplin. Or Orson Welles for heaven's sake!When will la-la land wake up to reality and honor one of their best? When he's dead? Is that what it's going to take? Give me a break. Honor the guy now while he's still alive and kicking! And go check out Absolute Evil. It's intriguing, entertaining and different.

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2 out of 3 people found the following comment useful :-
Abhorrent piece of excrement, 10 kesäkuu 2009
1/10
Author: gregyarmouth from United Kingdom

I had the misfortune to see this abhorrent piece of excrement at the '09 Berlinarle festival (where it was awardee for worst film). On a technical level its very very poor on all fronts- amateurish camera work, badly recorded sound, terrible acting etc, but the script is absolutely atrocious. In fact this film is so unbelievably bad that my class mates and I and were unsure whether it was perhaps a Godardesque parody of crass Hollywood movies, but after a bit of internet investigation of Ulli Lommel's work I realised it is not, he is just an abysmal director. If you look at the reviewers who gave it 10 out of 10 you will notice that this is the only film which they have commented on- i.e. they are probably written by Lommel himself, or the film's producers, desperate to see some returns on that ill-spent cash.

Check the reviews at hollywoodreporter.com or eyeforfilm.co.uk if you need any further proof of just how ridiculous this film is.

Trust me, you do not want to waste your time or money seeing this film, even David Carradine fans would be better off not seeing his embarrassing penultimate film. Just wait until it is released on DVD and watch that rating nosedive!

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2 out of 3 people found the following comment useful :-
The best Lommel film in years!, 23 helmikuu 2009
10/10
Author: (imagesmdr@yahoo.com) from United States

This is simply a beautiful film to watch. The characters are all believable and the story is true love equates redemption. David Carradine is spectacular and I left the film wanting more of him. The 2 leads, unknowns, will not remain unknown for long. The chemistry between the two was palpable. Caroyn Neff,lovely and petulant at times works her favor upon Rusty Joiner and I actually wondered if these two were an item. There is a "montgomery Cliff" type of sadness that Joiner brings to the genre and I actually felt as though I needed to embrace him...He is easy on the eyes in a Brad Pitt way, as well. Ulli Lommel's cameo sets the record straight that the man still has it. I'd love to see him star in a film. There is a screen presence that is stellar. He plays an aging hit-man with conviction and just a hint of tongue in cheek attitude. I will certainly buy this film when released, but I am hoping to see it again on the big screen here in the U.S. Anyone who his loved and lost cannot help but identify with this film.

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4 out of 7 people found the following comment useful :-
Seen it 7 times now, 19 helmikuu 2009
10/10
Author: rickvanCleef from United States

Each time new discoveries. Carradine giving A+ performance. Camera work superb. What was this shot on? I heard they used the new RED??? Anyway, great colors, very cool performances by Chris Kriesa and Ulli Lommel as Beauregard and Rick. Carolyn Neff a treat as Savanna, Rusty Joiner (is he the guy who shows off his body in all these men's mags???). Script shines with twists and turns. Only problem I have: The length. It could've gone on for two more hours. Maybe they should turn this plot into a TV-series. Call it "17th Street" or something. I'd sure watch it. Could be as entertaining and different as "Twin Peaks". "Absolute Evil" reminds me of a mixture out of a David Lynch flick and Tarentino. I didn't care much for Lommel's other horror flicks, but this one? Man, what a departure!!! Has anyone seen his 80s films like "Boogeyman" and "brainwaves"? Or "Devonsville Terror"? Check it out, man. Cool stuff. Now as to his recent Lionsgate stuff, I could've done without that. Neither "Son of Sam" nor "Borderline Cult" did it for me.

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1 out of 2 people found the following comment useful :-
Absolutely abysmal, 4 kesäkuu 2009
Author: eibon2005 from Netherlands

What a pathetic excuse for a film. Ulli Lommel is infamous for his zero-budget slasher flicks, so incompetently made that even Aunt Martha's home movies look like Kurosawa, but with this abomination Lommel really hit rock bottom. The script and dialog is nonsensical and ridiculous and the "photography" doesn't deserve to be called that (just put the camera in a corner on auto setting, push record and pray for the best). Seeing other "reviewers" compare it to Fassbinder is a joke. It is obvious that the persons responsible for this laughable excuse for a movie have absolutely zero clue about film-making, framing, acting, writing, structure or taste. To be avoided at all cost.

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