Salt and Fire

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Luis Ivan M The movie leaves a lot to be desired. Being directed by Werner Herzog, one comes in with certain expectations, and while the theme and general mood are present, there’s little else to hold onto. The performances feel inconsistent and often bland, partly due to weak writing but also to unfocused direction. The film can be divided into two halves: the first leans heavily on exposition without revealing anything particularly engaging or emotionally resonant, while the second offers mesmerizing visuals of the Salar de Uyuni accompanied by tense folkloric music. This section sets up an intriguing new dynamic, but it quickly wears thin, once again failing to communicate a meaningful message or evoke genuine emotion. On a stricter note, several plot points and character decisions don’t make much sense, which further distances the audience. It’s difficult to call this a good film, though Herzog fans might still find familiar themes and atmospheric touches that recall his earlier work. For most viewers, however, it’s a disappointing and uneven experience that struggles to find purpose or emotional weight. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 11/03/25 Full Review peter r Certainly not your typical Hollywood thriller, but what a fantastic cinematic ride! Herzog delivers once again with Salt & Fire, a film that is far removed from the Hollywood formula yet still immensely entertaining. It’s obscure yet feels natural, drawing you in with its unique style. See it for yourself. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/25/24 Full Review Dani G I don't know if there are many movies more boring than this Rated 0.5/5 Stars •  Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 08/01/24 Full Review John A I'd wager it is the least Herzogian motion picture that was conceived by the man himself. Salt And Fire isn't a bad movie if I'm being perfectly honest yet it is quite boring especially in the later half even though the film begins to show noble and grandiose intentions. Rated 2.5/5 Stars •  Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 11/12/23 Full Review r 9 Oof. As I always say when I give films such a bad rating/review (though, tbf, only the ninth time I've rated ½*...), it is nothing personal and I respect everyone who worked on this film and, of course, understand it isn't easy to make films. I never enjoy slating one, but this... deary me. I'm not sure where to begin. The dialogue. The dialogue! I genuinely do not believe I've seen a movie with such truly awful dialogue, the amount of times I was holding my head out of cringe was immeasurable. You just know the writer, presumably one Werner Herzog, thought he was prime William Shakespeare when he put it all together. It's not just terrible in itself, it also simply isn't written for the actors - none of it sounds natural out of them whatsoever. Talking of the actors, they merit some iffiness too. Listen, they are severely hampered by those behind the scenes but more was needed - especially from Michael Shannon, who I am a big fan of but his performance is... questionable, at best. Again, the ill-fitting dialogue did not help. Elsewhere, Veronica Ferres tries and is likeable but... yeah, not good. At least the Arancibia kids add some charm to things. Those children are put into the film around the middle and somehow (nothing bad on them, just their characters) stay until the very end. Those scenes with them, and Ferres' Laura, are sweet in isolation (pardon the pun), but wow do they feel entirely out of place and disconnected (pardon the p...) to everything that proceeds - to the point that the sweetness drains away. ½* always feels harsh to me, yet this is very much deserving of that rating in my opinion. Dire stuff, even at just around 90 minutes. The kids and the neat locations are all I've got by way of positives. Rated 0.5/5 Stars •  Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review stephen k Literally unwatchable. Herzog should be ashamed of himself for stooping so low Rated 1/5 Stars •  Rated 1 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Read all reviews

Salt and Fire

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