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Perfume: The Story of a Murderer

Play trailer 2:21 Poster for Perfume: The Story of a Murderer R 2006 2h 25m Mystery & Thriller History Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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59% Tomatometer 130 Reviews 74% Popcornmeter 250,000+ Ratings
With his incredible talent for discerning scents, Jean-Baptiste Grenouille (Ben Whishaw) is one of 18th-century France's finest perfumers. He becomes obsessed with capturing an elusive aroma: the scent of young womanhood. His search takes a deadly turn, and when the bodies of 12 young females are found, panic breaks out, with families rushing to lock up their daughters.
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Perfume: The Story of a Murderer

Perfume: The Story of a Murderer

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Critics Consensus

Perfume is what you'd expect from a Tom Twyker-directed movie glamorizing a serial killer: a kinetic visual feast, with a dark antihero that's impossible to feel sympathy for.

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Critics Reviews

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Nick Schager Lessons of Darkness [Its] off-the-charts screwiness obscures virtually all shortcomings. Rated: B+ Nov 21, 2007 Full Review Carrie Rickey Philadelphia Inquirer Tykwer loses his cinematic grip when he tries to blend murder and piety. In his hands, the two don't emulsify. Rated: 2/4 Jan 11, 2007 Full Review Rex Reed Observer Perfume: The Story of a Murderer is another nauseous example of style over content: a toxic tale of serial homicide set in 18th-century France that creeps you out faster than it makes you think. Jan 10, 2007 Full Review Tim Brayton Alternate Ending A movie that is much, much more nuts than it lets on. Rated: 3.5/5 Aug 13, 2024 Full Review Tom Cassidy Common Sense Media The unsettling horror plot with a one-note villain -- Whishaw's Grenouille is on a murderous pursuit to try and recapture the smell of his first murder victim -- is perfect for a 45-minute episode of a show like The X-Files. Rated: 2/5 Apr 12, 2023 Full Review Brian Eggert Deep Focus Review Whimsical, disgusting, beautiful, disturbing, and evocative, Perfume: The Story of a Murderer conjures all manner of responses. Rated: 4/4 Feb 14, 2022 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Oaklee D I really enjoyed this film up until the 3rd act, where it loses its momentum and that's why it didn't receive a higher score. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 10/26/25 Full Review J B Errr I always thought rotten tomatoes was the go to site but 59% ? Wha? This is a great film - you've become to young or inexperienced to give reviews on films that cut through the usual and indulge you in an adult fairy story without meeting your youthful modern sensibilities because you don't understand this, because you weren't alive when 'The Company of Wolves" was made - and others of this genre. Take your brain out sometimes, just believe, and enjoy. I've nevet heard of twyker & whatever his previous, I take things as I see them - loved it. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/18/25 Full Review Jens B Tykwer's Süskind adaptation never transcends mediocrity; the novel's plot is filmed too awkwardly. A generic score lingers over the TV-quality images, and there's never any tension or interest in the characters. Ben Wishaw, on the other hand, is great, as is Alan Rickman (when he finally shows up after 80 minutes); Dustin Hoffman, on the other hand, is completely in camp mode. All in all, a typical 'airs on network TV on a Sunday afternoon' historical/arthouse romp that doesn't dare to do anything. But I really want to read the novel now; it seems truly excellent. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 09/24/25 Full Review Ari V A few details don't track and the main character feels too unrealistically like a singleminded machine. Which took me out of it somewhat. But bold and interesting storytelling nonetgeless, especially the less over-the-top 1st half. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 09/10/25 Full Review Lynneth S The scent of an object may seem the least significant among all other senses that stimulate the perception, for which reason it can never be extracted, can never be preserved, but is only echoed to such that it is tampered with. It essentially loses its novelty. Be that as it may, a scent equates to a particular beauty to which one may be enticed. Yet it never remains and eventually dies out. When that happens, yearning is inevitable. As in the film, Grenouille sought a way to preserve the scent of beauty (literally the young ladies), taking extreme measures to do so. Ironic as it may be, he did not have a personal scent, therefore clenching to those of others. Such a mere talent he possessed became a menacing obsession—an obsession out of “love.” This love may be the representation of the beguiling scents of the women he murdered, forcefully and cruelly extracting it out of them. In the end, Grenouille himself vanished out of love—not a single residual left for all the love that he bestowed upon himself; it was devoured. A peculiar movie, it may seem, but twofold. Not much dialogue is spoken throughout, but it is still able to tell, rendering how passion turns into a haunting pursuit of cruelty. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/26/25 Full Review Troy R Very odd story, interesting look into perfume making, ending was terrible. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 05/11/25 Full Review Read all reviews
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer

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Perfume: The Story of a Murderer

Perfume: The Story of a Murderer: Official Clip - Water Dunking Perfume: The Story of a Murderer: Official Clip - Water Dunking 2:12 Perfume: The Story of a Murderer: Official Clip - Purely Out of Love Perfume: The Story of a Murderer: Official Clip - Purely Out of Love 2:05 Perfume: The Story of a Murderer: Official Clip - An Angel Perfume: The Story of a Murderer: Official Clip - An Angel 2:13 Perfume: The Story of a Murderer: Official Clip - Excommunicated Perfume: The Story of a Murderer: Official Clip - Excommunicated 2:12 Perfume: The Story of a Murderer: Official Clip - Human Perfume Perfume: The Story of a Murderer: Official Clip - Human Perfume 2:10 Perfume: The Story of a Murderer: Official Clip - No Smell of His Own Perfume: The Story of a Murderer: Official Clip - No Smell of His Own 2:08 Perfume: The Story of a Murderer: Official Clip - Distilling Scent Perfume: The Story of a Murderer: Official Clip - Distilling Scent 2:04 Perfume: The Story of a Murderer: Official Clip - The Plum Girl Perfume: The Story of a Murderer: Official Clip - The Plum Girl 2:11 View more videos
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Movie Info

Synopsis With his incredible talent for discerning scents, Jean-Baptiste Grenouille (Ben Whishaw) is one of 18th-century France's finest perfumers. He becomes obsessed with capturing an elusive aroma: the scent of young womanhood. His search takes a deadly turn, and when the bodies of 12 young females are found, panic breaks out, with families rushing to lock up their daughters.
Director
Tom Tykwer
Producer
Bernd Eichinger, Martin Moszkowicz
Screenwriter
Tom Tykwer, Bernd Eichinger, Andrew Birkin
Distributor
Paramount Pictures
Production Co
Castelao Producciones S.A., Nouvelles Éditions de Films [fr], Constantin Film Produktion
Rating
R (Disturbing Images|Aberrant Behavior|Nudity|Sexuality|Violence)
Genre
Mystery & Thriller, History, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Dec 27, 2006, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Mar 22, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA)
$2.2M
Runtime
2h 25m
Sound Mix
SDDS, Dolby Digital, DTS
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