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Three Monkeys

Play trailer Poster for Three Monkeys Released Mar 27, 2009 1h 49m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
77% Tomatometer 61 Reviews 72% Popcornmeter 2,500+ Ratings
Eyup (Yavuz Bingol), the patriarch of a poor Turkish family, works for wealthy businessman Servet (Ercan Kesal). One fateful day while driving his car, Servet accidentally kills a pedestrian. He offers Eyup a big payoff to assume responsibility for the accident, which the poor man accepts. But a growing relationship between Servet and Eyup's wife, Hacer (Hatice Aslan), plus the suspicions of Eyup's son, Ismail (Rifat Sungar), threaten to tear the family apart despite their newfound wealth.
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Three Monkeys

Three Monkeys

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Critics Consensus

Exploring the effects of a family's dealings with an underhanded politician, this crime drama avoids showing the violent outcomes of its characters' misdeeds, resulting in a lingeringly potent film.

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Critics Reviews

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Can Eskinazi Film Comment Magazine Three Monkeys is a peculiarly nationalistic eulogy, because what lies at the heart of this nationalism isn't pride in national identity, but rather a quintessentially humanistic stance. It's a recognition of the people's ambivalence and failings. Mar 19, 2018 Full Review Michael Phillips Chicago Tribune Three Monkeys... is the latest eyeful from director Nuri Bilge Ceylan, one of a handful of international directors deserving of the title artist. Rated: 3.5/4 Jul 17, 2009 Full Review Brian Tallerico Movie Retriever Ceylan finds moments of stunning visual composition and his cast truly delivers, so art-house audiences will more than likely be satisfied by Three Monkeys, even if it's not a knockout punch. Jul 17, 2009 Full Review Mattie Lucas From the Front Row A darkly lyrical film, filled with muddled morality, family angst and shady deeds. Rated: 3.5/4 Jul 7, 2019 Full Review Sarah Manvel Critic's Notebook Three Monkeys is a singularly unpleasant piece of work, best avoided unless you're into that sort of thing. Aug 9, 2018 Full Review Brian D. Johnson Maclean's Magazine It's a strong story, with a slow but inexorable momentum. Ceylan has marshalled a quartet of superb performances. Jan 2, 2018 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Audience Member I should not even rate this one as I only saw parts of it. I put it on, got problems with getting into it so I did some much needed work while keeping half an eye on it. I got parts of the plot and found a few interesting scenes here and there, but that's about it. It looked very good, but not as crisp as his newer films. Just as slow but the scenes never had much passion or ineresting stuff. But, heck - what do I really know. If it had been more interesting I probably would have seen it from beginning to end, but that did not happen. A rare rewatch may happen someday, but I doubt it. 5 out of 10 guys laying in the street. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 01/17/23 Full Review nefasto r I finally saw a film from this director with a "normal" length! Less than two hours to tell a story that could have been told in probably one, credits included. Nuri Bilge Ceylan, like expected, takes its time. In this instance he doesn't fill the film with smart dialogs thought, but with powerful close ups. This is the main difference and the strength of the "Three Monkeys". He decide to linger on every expression, every feeling, every awkward moment. Might not be enough to make this a great movie, but it is to make it good. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member sometimes i guess i am not being this world. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/22/23 Full Review Audience Member Nuri Bilge Ceylan, the Turkish master, directs movies that contain images of stunning widescreen beauty, often of the Anatolian foothills but sometimes, as in this film, just in a grungy apartment building. The slow plots of these films can burn with a mysterious intensity that makes it hard to look away. However, Three Monkeys is a lesser work and although noir-ish in its focus on the poor choices and inescapable fates of a chauffeur, his wife, and his son, it drags rather than grips. Perhaps this is because Ceylan uses tectonic slabs of storyline that drift and then fit together too easily compared to the expected twists and turns of the usual noir (a late surprise offers nothing but resolution, satisfyingly apt though it may be). The acting by the four leads, particularly Hatice Aslan as the wife, is strong. But for choice Ceylan, I would recommend Once Upon a Time In Anatolia (2011), Winter Sleep (2014), or Distant (2002) ahead of this one. And I'll be anticipating whatever comes next from this auteur! Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/04/23 Full Review Audience Member A sad, human drama, in full Bergman style. It's too ponderous at times, so that it feels longer than it is. It can hinge on the boring during some scenes, and yet the overwhelming impression you're left with is that you're in the hands of a talented film maker. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/25/23 Full Review Audience Member Ceylan only seems to confirm the reservations I had about his previous film, as he goes even further than before in terms of aesthetics with a splendid cinematography but employs his pretentious, self-indulgent direction in behalf of an empty story that has nothing to say. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 02/14/23 Full Review Read all reviews
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Movie Info

Synopsis Eyup (Yavuz Bingol), the patriarch of a poor Turkish family, works for wealthy businessman Servet (Ercan Kesal). One fateful day while driving his car, Servet accidentally kills a pedestrian. He offers Eyup a big payoff to assume responsibility for the accident, which the poor man accepts. But a growing relationship between Servet and Eyup's wife, Hacer (Hatice Aslan), plus the suspicions of Eyup's son, Ismail (Rifat Sungar), threaten to tear the family apart despite their newfound wealth.
Director
Nuri Bilge Ceylan
Producer
Zeynep Özbatur Atakan
Screenwriter
Ebru Ceylan, Nuri Bilge Ceylan, Ercan Kesal
Distributor
Zeitgeist
Production Co
Imaj Film, Zeynofilm, Pyramide Productions, NBC Film, Eurimages
Genre
Drama
Original Language
Turkish
Release Date (Theaters)
Mar 27, 2009, Limited
Release Date (DVD)
Oct 6, 2009
Box Office (Gross USA)
$41.3K
Runtime
1h 49m
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