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      Death and the Compass

      1996 1 hr. 30 min. Fantasy Crime Drama Mystery & Thriller Action List
      17% 6 Reviews Tomatometer 40% 250+ Ratings Audience Score A police detective (Peter Boyle) and a reporter investigate strange patterns that emerge from a rash of serial murders. Read More Read Less

      Audience Reviews

      View All (14) audience reviews
      Audience Member "Death and the Compass" is a stand out Borge's story, so any adaptation has a lot to live up to. Unfortunately, Alex Cox lacks the budget and the leading man. Naturally, Peter Boyle is a wonderful actor; however, here he feels miscast and a bit bored by the material. Nevertheless, for fans of Borges and Cox, "Death and the Compass" is an interesting failure. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/14/23 Full Review Audience Member Most people will, and do, hate it, but I seem to love everything Alex Cox touches. Bizarre, confusing and twisted, with a subtle touch of dark humor and excellent visuals. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/08/23 Full Review walter m Despite its florid visuals and a game cast, "Death and the Compass" is nothing more than an empty exercise about the nature of power as triangulated between a bureaucrat, detective and a criminal. The central question is who really has the most power? The responsible one? The worker? Or the one who subverts the system in the shadows? Written and directed by Alex Cox, "Death and the Compass" is told from the viewpoint of Treviranus(Miguel Sandoval), the former commissioner of detectives. What he is so bitter about is the positive attention one of his detectives, Erik Lonnrot(Peter Boyle, with a rare chance to stretch his legs in the lead), got in his time. As Treviranus puts it, wasn't he the one who solved the crimes while Lonnrot went off on his wild goose chases, ignoring boring street crimes in the bargain? Take the case of a murder which Treviranus thinks is only the fallout from a routine diamond smuggling ring gone wrong while Lonnrot suspects something much more sinister, getting research assistance from Alonso Zunz(Christopher Eccleston), a young journalist. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review jack c Alex Cox is a director who either has it (Sid & Nancy) or he doesn't (Straight to Hell). I respect the hell out of the guy, but this is one of the ones where he doesn't have it. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member As a fan of Jorge Luis Borges, I was interested in seeing this film set in a totalitarian future about a private detective who discovers a bizarre pattern in a series of recent serial murders. Alex Cox uses heavy symbolism and expanded a 55-minute television production, which is fairly evident, as several long stretches of the movie are devoted to showy and distracting camera angles, moody smoke-lit settings and several vague discussions about the nature of man and how fate binds our actions and blah blah blah... <a href="http://s273.photobucket.com/albums/jj203/goji9000/?action=view¤t=death_and_the_compass.gif" target="_blank"><img src="http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj203/goji9000/death_and_the_compass.gif" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a> Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/18/23 Full Review Audience Member An inspector turns to mysticism and the kaballah to solve a series of what he believes to be ritualistic murders, in a wierd industrial society filled with supervillains and an enormous police force. A surreal, cartoonesk film noir, with some great ideas, but the shoddy execution and low quality of some of the sets and sounds left me wanting more. Christopher Eccleston (the previous Doctor Who) is great as a Joker-like menace. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 01/26/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

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      Death and the Compass

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      Critics Reviews

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      Ken Eisner Variety A bleary-eyed fever dream lumbered with impenetrable literary references, Death and the Compass quickly loses its way and expires long before its 90 minutes are up. Jan 11, 2008 Full Review Kevin Thomas Los Angeles Times When he [Director Alex Cox] overreaches and trips up...the thud is resounding. Apr 20, 2001 Full Review Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com Rated: 2/5 Jul 18, 2005 Full Review Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews Probably the kind of film for cultists who coo over Peter Greenaway films. Rated: C+ Dec 17, 2001 Full Review Christopher Null Filmcritic.com The director of Repo Man takes an Argentinian short story by Jorge Luis Borges and brings it to the screen with his curious style. Rated: 3/5 Dec 16, 2001 Full Review Scott Weinberg Apollo Guide Please take notes because you will be tested as the end of the movie. Rated: 42/100 Jul 19, 2001 Full Review Read all reviews

      Movie Info

      Synopsis A police detective (Peter Boyle) and a reporter investigate strange patterns that emerge from a rash of serial murders.
      Director
      Alex Cox
      Executive Producer
      Katsumi Ishikuma
      Screenwriter
      Alex Cox
      Genre
      Fantasy, Crime, Drama, Mystery & Thriller, Action
      Original Language
      English
      Release Date (Streaming)
      Apr 17, 2020