Oscar winner Julianne Moore and Ken Watanabe (Inception) lead this hostage thriller about an opera singer and a wealthy businessman who stick together while a guerrilla rebel group take over a private performance. From the Oscar-nominated writer-director of About a Boy.
Bel Canto’s bland theatrics and irritatingly operatic denouement (that wouldn’t look out of place in a telenovela) are a tragic waste of an impressive international cast that also includes Sebastian Koch, Ryo Kase and Christopher Lambert.
Full reviewThe film benefits from the fine cast and from many sharp and poignant moments. It's an impressive achievement technically as well.
Full reviewMoore, like an upmarket version of Lina Lamont, in "Singin' in the Rain," lip-synchs convincingly to the sound of Renée Fleming. But not quite convincingly enough.
Full review
Though Moore and Watanabe are the main focus, Bel Canto delivers the emotional payoff of a well-developed ensemble film.
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The film empathetically shows its characters' humanity and the unlikely relationships that develop between captor and captive, as political, linguistic and socioeconomic barriers break down amid their close quarters and shared awe for the music.
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It's overripe and improbable, but you'd need a flinty heart to resist the message of solidarity, that if you spend time with someone, anyone, you'll find common ground.
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Bel Canto pushes a hard message about cultural misconceptions and boasts a promising and diverse cast, but only really makes an impact in the first and final minutes.
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