BNester

A crime caper that takes place in Montreal, "The Fall of the American Empire" is well-paced and amusing. There is a gory murder near the beginning, and a nasty torture scene in the middle, so it's not all fun and games; but on the whole it's a feel-good movie, and leaves you smiling.

An intellectual delivery driver teams up with a high-priced hooker to try and do some good with a windfall of cash that has come their way, while avoiding crime bosses and the police.

The plot is unlikely, the chemistry between the two main characters is hardly believable, but it's still fun to watch. There are many beautiful shots of Montreal at its most glorious. The dialogue is in Quebec French, which sounds quite different from the European variety.

It loses a star in my rating because of a totally unnecessary reference to the Holocaust. Mentioning the Holocaust is supposed to add gravity and seriousness to the scene, I guess, but it doesn't. Instead, it just trivializes and cheapens the Holocaust, and should be avoided.

It's impossible to write spoilers for this film, since there is no plot to spoil. The film is just a record of an all-night orgy in a European forest around the time of the French Revolution. The participants are a group of international noblemen and women, and their servants.

It takes place at night in a dark forest, so you hardly see anything, and when you do see something, you're not sure what it is. Although the participants talk of wild erotic fantasies, what they actually do is pathetic, boring, and grim. Male masturbation, urinating, and getting whipped seem to be the extent of their perversions. You see several penises, none erect. Nobody seems to be having much fun at this orgy. Participating in it seems to be as unpleasant as watching it. Mostly, you see lots of people standing around doing nothing for long periods of time. It's supposed to be erotic, but the astonishing thing is: it's so boring!

The only reason I can think of for seeing this film is titillation. But you will see far more in a 3-minute clip on an internet porn site than you will find in this endless film. It's over two hours long, and feels more like 5. I give this film one star, for the costumes and makeup, which manage to make each male look uglier than the next. If being depraved and debauched offers such poor benefits, I think I will stay praved and bauched. Perhaps that's the director's intention.

\When the film started, the cinema was full. By the time it finished, there were only about 10 viewers left.