The Piano Player

I don't know what the other reviewers were expecting going into this movie.

One look at the DVD case or a minute of screen time reveals that this movie was not made on a Hollywood budget.....And as far as struisenburg's review, he was obviously half asleep for the duration of the movie as each question he poses was indeed answered. Perhaps it'd be better to watch it next time with your hand not on the FF button...

I was reminded of the fun b-action movies of the 1970s and 80s. The Target may be nothing ground-breaking, but as an action/crime buff I thoroughly enjoyed it. Dennis Hopper is a pleasure to watch as an aging criminal accountant forced to flee Capetown for the rural simplicity of his childhood village. All the while pursued by a crime boss with a mysterious mystical side. The first section of the film is an effective urban action/crime flick, and the remainder is part a genuinely charming rediscovery of life, and part Western.

Production values are not the highest, though they were able to snag some big names. Still, all the acting was effective if not exceptional. The location is the real star of the film. Having never been to South Africa I can't address the complaints of its residents, however I thought the scenery was beautiful and the culture was an interesting twist on a story that could just as well have taken place in New York. I was reminded of the

It's easy to rip apart a movie like this. But if you're a fan of action or crime movies, appreciative of exotic settings, and willing to overlook some less than stellar production values, it'll be well worth your time...

South Africa is a country of great beauty and immense atmosphere. A great setting for an intelligent and suspenseful thriller one would say. If they just hadn't spoiled it! What can I say? Every time I rent a Lambert movie I'm being disappointed. This film strikes the viewer through a lack of acting talent, bad filming, awful music and no suspense whatsoever. The story is flat, predictable and makes no sense. There is no explanation of why the South African businessmen is being hunted by a criminal, nor why this guy is in prison or why he is being released. How did Robert Nile get into contact with Laney, know where to find him? The film gives no explanation as for the basic framework of the story. Instead minutes and minutes of the movie are covered by shots of the countryside the car's driving through. It's a film that is hard to stand, even when viewed in fast forward mode.

I have to admit, when I saw the cast, I did expect a lot more than what I got served. You could say it is a bit my fault for expecting ... but on the other hand I really do not know what to make of this movie overall.

The action is decent I guess .. but considering the people in front of the screen, you sometimes might wonder if there are amateurs at work. It has a couple of moments - and Dennis Hopper almost channels Gary Busey ... but not at his craziest level ... still quite mad. And the resolution/ending? Again not many words for that I can convey what ... it is ... what it tries to do - I know it does not succeed on any real level.

I rented this film expecting it to be like The Point Men, Vercingetorix and Lambert's latest crap films. But I was surprised it wasn't that bad. It runs at less then 90 minutes...although it can be a quite boring film (feels like 2 hours). The film tells the story of a rich lawyer (Dennis Hopper) who lives in South Africa and his life is in danger, some voodo/vodoo practicing crimelord wants him dead, so he (Hopper) brings in the help of Christopher Lambert to protect him. The film has a series of flashbacks which all make sense when you see the end of the film. There are some very beautiful shots of the South African landscape. I'll give this a 5.5/10, it's better then the latest turkeys Lambert has released on video lately and if you always thought of going to South Africa...this film might convince you to go.

Before watching THE PIANO PLAYER I assumed it would have been terrible because of its score of 4,2 and very few reviews (a common thing with many Christopher Lambert movies). When I saw it six months ago I didn't found it exceptional but still decent.

Assassin and piano player Alex Laney (Lambert) is seen committing two murders at the beginning and soon is hired for going in Cape Town and being the bodyguard of Robert Nile (Dennis Hopper) and his daughter Erika (Diane Kruger) because Nile is the key witness for the prosecution of a powerful gangster. After some goons try to kill Nile and his daughter they move with Alex on the mountains and not only they'll become friends with the locals but also gradually defeat their enemy.

I have to agree with some reviewers that this film looks a bit slow despite it lasts just 1 hour and 56 minutes, and also that the ending was a bit too predictable. But there are some things I nearly loved and they are the reason why I couldn't bring myself to give it a 2. I loved the part shot in Cape Town, the locations were very nice and the soundtrack in that part was also good and nostalgic even for folks who weren't adult in 2002. Christopher Lambert, say what you want about his acting abilities, he gave actually one of his decent performances. Dennis Hopper came off better, and Diane Kruger is good too considering this is her debut.

In substance, it's best if you don't read the reviews before you see it because if you don't have expectations you might actually like it.