Review of Renaissance (1970) by Nikolai E — 08 Feb 2008

Visually, it's utterly flawless. The time and care put into lighting each composition so that important details stand out, while almost never breaking the maximum-contrast gimmick is staggering. A proof of concept that unfortunately came too late in the failed noir revival of the early 2000s to make a lasting impact.

So as a visual conversation piece, it's exceptional, but as a film, it fails almost completely. With all that effort put into the design, someone forgot to install a brain into the script. The plot could have been lifted off a saturday morning cartoon, and everything is just infuriatingly shallow.

It's like watching a ten year old kid trying to recreate The Big Sleep with his action figures. I guess that's what you get from a director who admits he just wanted to make "Sin City" and couldn't get the rights.