Fade to Black

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Fade to Black

R

2006

1h 45m

Mystery & Thriller

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Popcornmeter

29%

Tomatometer

7 Reviews

32%

Popcornmeter

250+ Ratings

Filmmaker Orson Welles plunges into postwar Rome's criminal underworld while investigating the murder of an actress's stepfather.

Tim Robey

Daily Telegraph (UK)

All credit to writer-director Oliver Parker for trying to broaden his CV, but Danny Huston is a terrible bore as Welles, Paz Vega continues to be incomprehensible in English, and the murky mystery plot limps along unrewardingly.

Mar 7, 2008

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Xan Brooks

Guardian

On paper this must have looked a neat idea: a wildly fictionalised account of a skid-row Orson Welles, up to his neck in political skulduggery while shooting a third-rate picture in post-war Italy.

Rated: 2/5

Mar 7, 2008

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Mark Samuels

BBC.com

Like Black Magic itself, alas, this is destined to be a forgotten curio of limited appeal.

Rated: 2/5

Mar 7, 2008

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Neil Smith

Film4

A retro pastiche that, like The Good German before it, will be of limited interest to all but the most ardent film buff.

Rated: 2/5

Mar 7, 2008

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Rob Daniel

Sky Cinema

Fade to Black is as sleek and attractive as the chrome polished vintage cars Huston travels in, but never truly gets in gear.

Mar 7, 2008

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Aldo G

It's no Citizen Kane but it does cast a certain spell among Orson Welles fans. My biggest problem is the casting of Danny Huston as Welles. Huston is a good actor. But, I can't think of an actor who can capture the aura of a Hollywood demigod. Huston sounds and looks much like his father, John Huston. REWRITE!

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/25/24

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Audience Member

For Orson Welles fans this movie is a must see! It reminded me of The Third Man--except that Orson Welles is the hero and it is post-war Italy instead of Austria.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/10/23

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Frances H

Danny Huston sounds more like his dad, the great John Huston, than Orson Welles. The plot and script are too slow--The Third Man it's not!

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

12/15/12

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Audience Member

good period thriller huston slips on orson welles' shoes

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/21/23

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Audience Member

I appreciated the dark humor in this noir thriller, but the story seemed somewhat convoluted. I have no idea why Spanish actors were cast to play Italians.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/09/23

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Audience Member

A little hard to get in to, overall I found it OK. Nothing to shout about that's for sure.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/22/23

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Oliver Parker

Director

Danny Huston

Orson Welles

Paz Vega

Lea Padovani

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Synopsis

Filmmaker Orson Welles plunges into postwar Rome's criminal underworld while investigating the murder of an actress's stepfather.

Director: Oliver Parker
Production Co: Isle of Man Film, Endgame Entertainment, Movieweb S.p.a., Thema Production, Ealing Studios, Odyssey Entertainment, Dakota Films Limited, Fragile Films, Isle of Man Film Commission
Rating: R (Language|Some Violence)
Genre: Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 8, 2017
Runtime: 1h 45m

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