Look at the gleaming chrome on that train. Look at how the pinstripes give it a flow that make it appear to be moving (which it is) even when it is standing still. See how the coal smoke and the light mist in the air mingle at the bellows and produce thin black strips that mar the otherwise gleaming paint. And we can see this detail miles and miles away. Just like we can see the "twist" coming in this movie.
This movie is an art project that made it onto film, so you can't expect well-rounded characters or a complicated story. You have to look for quirks and intricacies that make the texture of the movie. From the gloves that Geoffrey Rush wears (and he has more pairs than any woman I know has shoes) to the eidetic memory of the midget in the periphery to the agoraphobia that afflicts Sylvia Hoeks' character, each person has an overriding personal quick that defines not only them as creations but their interactions with each other and the circumstances they find themselves in.
Geoffrey Rush plays an uptight appraiser and auctioneer for expensive antiques in England. His peculiar and fastidious nature have made him the most popular and highly sought after man in his profession. His personality quirks make it virtually impossible for him to have much of a social life, and he appears to have no substantial interest in most women at any rate.
One strange twist to his character is his willingness to deceive many of his clients by appraising things low, declaring them counterfeit, and then having his friend, Donald Sutherland, buy them at auction at a greatly reduced price. Using this method, he has acquired a rather large collection of paintings that he keeps all to himself for personal enjoyment. Donald gets a fee for each painting purchased, and is a trusted ally.
Jim Sturgess is an unusual friend who runs a shop where he fixes mechanical things and basic electronics. It's unclear how they met or even why they became friends, but Geoffrey seems to feel that he can confide in Jim with personal matters he includes no one else in. The character himself is a MacGuffin; he exists only to forward the plot.
Sylvia Hoeks is the woman who has a house full of stuff that she wants to auction off. Of course, she becomes the romantic interest, even though she does not allow herself to be seen by anyone (and hasn't since she was 13).
I will not give you the twist of the movie, but not seeing it within the first 30 minutes is a sure sign that you have brain damage.
Direction was okay
Acting was good
Story was crap
Dialog was good
The movie was not worth watching.
1.5/5