Well, after reading all the good reviews; some of which coming from reviewers that I often agree with, I was really looking forward to seeing The Nameless. After having sat down and watched it, however, I'm really disappointed. The film is not really 'bad', but it's not very good either and that's a shame considering that the film clearly so much wanted to be a great thriller. The plot is not very original, though that isn't the film's main problem. Many recycled plots have sprung great movies; the main problem here is that the plot moves too slowly and it's never interesting enough to remain thrilling for the duration. The film does have a few nice ideas, though. The Nameless starts with an editor named Claudia, who goes to identify the mutilated body of her dead daughter. The body has had every trace of its identity removed and can only be identified by a bracelet and the fact that one leg was slightly shorter than the other. Five years later, however, Claudia receives a call...from her daughter, who is begging her mother to save her.
Director Jaume Balagueró, who later went on to make the even more disappointing horror thriller 'Darkness' does manage to create a nice atmosphere for the film. Everything looks slightly grey, which makes it depressing and in turn serves the film well. I would guess that the film's main influence was David Fincher's hit 'Seven' as the two are very similar in tone. The film was made in Spain, and that is also disappointing. Spain, along with Italy, made some of the very best thrillers in the seventies, but the recent output of this genre from both countries has been disappointing - the Italian 'Occhi Di Cristallo' is another example of this. The recent films have lost what made them great previously, presumably because they're attempting to copy recent American films. The plot sort of drones on for the first eighty minutes as the dull characters uncover various facts and clues, and finally the film becomes interesting in the last ten minutes - though by this time, of course, it's already too late. The film was based on a good idea and it does have a few nice moments; but overall I would have to rate this as not much more than an interesting failure.
Director Jaume Balagueró, who later went on to make the even more disappointing horror thriller 'Darkness' does manage to create a nice atmosphere for the film. Everything looks slightly grey, which makes it depressing and in turn serves the film well. I would guess that the film's main influence was David Fincher's hit 'Seven' as the two are very similar in tone. The film was made in Spain, and that is also disappointing. Spain, along with Italy, made some of the very best thrillers in the seventies, but the recent output of this genre from both countries has been disappointing - the Italian 'Occhi Di Cristallo' is another example of this. The recent films have lost what made them great previously, presumably because they're attempting to copy recent American films. The plot sort of drones on for the first eighty minutes as the dull characters uncover various facts and clues, and finally the film becomes interesting in the last ten minutes - though by this time, of course, it's already too late. The film was based on a good idea and it does have a few nice moments; but overall I would have to rate this as not much more than an interesting failure.