Review of A Late Quartet (2012) by Thomas W — 06 Feb 2013

Inspired by Beethoven's String Quartet No. 14, Opus 131 -- a long piece of music (at approximately 40 minutes +) that is meant to be played through its entirety "no matter what" -- A Late Quartet is a dramatic film from first-time director Yaron Zilberman about the four immensely talented members of the Fugue Quartet, a world-renowned, New York City-based string quartet who have performed together for nearly 25 years.

Upon the eve of the Fugue Quartet's twenty-fifth year together, the cellist and oldest member of the group (played by Christopher Walken) is given life-changing information that -- along with desire and rampant egos -- imperils the purpose of the Quartet itself.