Cremaster 2

Released Oct 13, 1999

1h 19m

Fantasy

List

73%

Tomatometer

15 Reviews

80%

Popcornmeter

500+ Ratings

This experimental film alternates between symbolic depictions of events from the life of notorious Mormon murderer Gary Gilmore and sustained shots of barren landscapes and beehives. Career criminal Gilmore (Matthew Barney) murders two men and, after being apprehended, demands to be put to death by firing squad. The execution absolves Gilmore of his sins, and he enters a hive-like heaven, where he begins a search for the elusive Harry Houdini (Norman Mailer), who may be his grandfather.

Jamie Russell

BBC.com

Rated: 4/5

Feb 3, 2004

Full Review

Dallas Morning News

Rated: D

Aug 2, 2003

Full Review

Owen Gleiberman

Entertainment Weekly

Darkly powerful.

Rated: A-

Jun 4, 2003

Full Review

David N. Butterworth

La Movie Boeuf

The only film in recent memory in which serial killer Gary Gilmore attempts to conjoin two Ford Mustangs with petroleum jelly.

Rated: 3/4

Apr 30, 2020

Full Review

Ian Buckwalter

DCist

The most cohesive narrative in any of these films, following murderer Gary Gilmore (played by Barney) on his crime spree, conviction, & striking execution, juxtaposed with a Harry Houdini (played by Norman Mailer) subplot.

Rated: 8.1/10

Oct 11, 2010

Full Review

Nick Davis

Nick's Flick Picks

Barney's outlandish mise-en-scène, forever emphasizing the organic, the amorphous, the massive, the adhesive, and the fluorescent in quite literal ways, also retains those very qualities in my memory.

Rated: A

May 19, 2010

Full Review

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Audience Member

One of the best experimental films I've seen. Truly phenomenal

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/03/23

Full Review

Audience Member

While no less weird than any of the other Cremaster films, the second instalment does seem to have more of a storyline that is maybe slightly easier to follow. A murderer goes off in search of Harry Houdini in the afterlife (which appears to be made of golden honeycomb!), who he thinks had a love affair with his grandmother. Well, I did say 'slightly' easier to follow...

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/22/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Do you consider David Lynch to be terribly pedestrian and excessively beholden to the linear narrative? This could be right up your alley.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

01/12/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Boring, artsy-esque clap-trap overwrought symbolism and commentary that takes itself too seriously and takes far too much time. Its' symbolism is mildly grotesque and certainly compelling, but the slow tempo was excruciating. As in the first Cremaster, much of the intended meaning was probably unclear or ambiguous. Again, this would be a compliment if it seemed possible to interpret it. Instead, it merely felt like an exercise in self-stimulation.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

02/06/23

Full Review

Audience Member

a spectral delight and a film so bizarre its mesmerizing. lush with long aerial shots of unrecognizable landscapes, this film sinks into you musically and visually.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/14/23

Full Review

Audience Member

hm. I didn't care for it as much as the first one.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/16/23

Full Review

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Matthew Barney

Director

Norman Mailer

Harry Houdini

Matthew Barney

Gary Gilmore

Anonymous

Baby Fay La Foe

Lauren Pine

Bessie Gilmore

Scot Ewalt

Frank Gilmore

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Synopsis

This experimental film alternates between symbolic depictions of events from the life of notorious Mormon murderer Gary Gilmore and sustained shots of barren landscapes and beehives. Career criminal Gilmore (Matthew Barney) murders two men and, after being apprehended, demands to be put to death by firing squad. The execution absolves Gilmore of his sins, and he enters a hive-like heaven, where he begins a search for the elusive Harry Houdini (Norman Mailer), who may be his grandfather.

Director: Matthew Barney
Producer: Matthew Barney, Barbara Gladstone
Distributor: Palm Pictures
Production Co: Glacier Field LLC
Genre: Fantasy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 13, 1999, Original
Runtime: 1h 19m