Waiting for the Barbarians

Mark Rylance's performance in this film makes it well worth watching. The film is not your typical fast paced Superhero action film that people are so used to today. The film has a Lawrence if Arabia-esque setting and is thoughtfully directed like films of that era. Director Ciro Guerra takes his time and allows the actors to carry the film. It's not a quick cutting, move the camera just for the sake of moving it film. It is actually something of a Biblical Alegory. The themes of honor, commitment, empathy and purpose resonate throughout. Rylance as the Magistrate embodies the role as something of a Christ like surrogate. Not in the sense of a divine nature but in the characteristics of caring for people. He cares for the sinners, the ones that society deems the lowest. Without spoiling anything, a couple of scenes illustrate this beautifully in the washing of a woman's feet and a Crucifixion parable. The villains portrayed by Johnny Depp and Robert Pattinson are Pontius Pilot and Roman Centurions. While these characters don't have enough screen time to fully arc. There is development of their characters. A beautiful film with great acting is always something to be savored and enjoyed.

NOT FOR SIMPLE MINDED PEOPLE SO NOT FOR EVERYONE A INTELLIGENT MASTER WORK Exactly how our society and machine treats good men ....this is how we treat those that speak the truth and warn of our evils or our impending doom. This movie is us ...now...at this point in human history .

I can see why it might not be everyone's cup of tea, but personally I loved the film. It's very different from many other action films I've watched, but I liked its uniqueness

This film is about how nasty we can be while hiding behind things like authority, law and other euphemisms for power. A slow burn movie, it stars Mark Rylance - in a yet another great role - as a decent man who has no power to control things, but has to observe others. I will have to say that both Johnny Depp and Robert Pattinson did a great job, but their characters barely covered ten minutes of screen taken together. The film is well done, beautifully shot, introspective. Bottom line: a gem in the mud, a film that was bound to gather low ratings because it is uncomfortable to bear witness to human cruelty, pride and greed. It's a must watch, but be warned that it is not easy to do so.

I was really excited for this movie as Johnny Depp and Robert Pattinson take part in it, but it was trash. The story is so poor, the characters are so boring and I don't know why they made this film.