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The End of Violence (1997)

The End of Violence (1997)
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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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Starring:
Bill PullmanAndie MacDowell, (more)
Director(s):
Wim Wenders
Theatrical MPAA Rating:
R
Format(s):
DVD
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Synopsis of The End of Violence

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

Theatrical Feature Running Time:
122 mins

Complete Cast of The End of Violence


Director(s):
Wim Wenders
Writer(s):
Nicholas Klein
Producer(s):
Deepak NayarWim WendersNicholas Klein
Theatrical MPAA Rating:
R(Adult Situations, Adult Humor)
Warning:  This product is intended for mature audiences only. It may contain violence, sexual content, drug abuse and/or strong language. You must be 17 or older to purchase it. By ordering this item you are certifying that you are at least 17 years of age.

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    Member Reviews
     
    Jeff K.

    If you are not already a Wim Wenders fan, this might be a good place to start. Beautiful photography and an easy to follow plot.

    Yes   |   No

     
    Donald K.

    Good story with interesting pot twists. Not Wenders best work but any movie with Andie MacDowell in it is ok with me.

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    Andy G.

    Painfully, Wim Wenders pushes us through two hours of convoluted story, comatose characters, and an array of random lines all attempting to connect at some point. What begins as a political thriller slowly devolves into a poorly executed social rampage on lies, privacy, law, and corruption. Nothing in this film makes any sort of coherent sense. Reminiscent of a fever dream, Wenders tries intentionally to build this film into a budding social commentary on Hollywood and the control of our Government in a very 1984-esque fashion, but fails. I could see where Wenders wanted to go with this film, but unfortunately, it never got there. You could tell that he was one of those kids in school that would write a report about a very heated topic, but never really put any meat on the issues. He would just jumble through the motions, hoping to hit a chord with someone … anyone.

    Yes   |   No

     
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