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Plot

Following up on his innovative work Timecode, which featured four stories being told in real time simultaneously, Mike Figgis returns to a modified form of his technique in this film about the tourists, the prostitutes, the tour guides, a killer, and a film crew who frequent the Hungarian Palace Hotel in Venice, Italy. A corrupt Eastern European politician and his moll are visiting the city to complete a shady business deal while Sophie is a high-priced call girl who makes an office in one of the hotel's suites. The film crew is attempting to shoot a Dogma 95-style adaptation of John Webster's The Duchess of Malfi only to run into one problem after another. Magic is a professional assassin with a very odd kink -- he must have sex immediately after completing a job. Quintus, who abandoned his attempts to get fame and fortune as an actor, is a tour guide with an unusual secret. And then there is maid who not only has the skeleton key to the hotel, but also a habit of snooping. This film was screened at the 2001 Toronto Film Festival.
MPAA Rating:
R for strong sexual content, violence and language.
Genre(s):
Comedy
Run Time:
109min.
Theatrical Release Date:
07/25/2003
DVD Release Date:
07/26/2005
Distributor(s):
Innovation
Director(s):
Themes:
Prostitutes,Hired Killers,Americans Abroad,Romantic Betrayal,Filmmaking
Tone:
Chilly,Hallucinatory,Irreverent,Sexual,Talky
Keywords:
Italy,actor,coma,film-crew,hotel,kinky,maid,prostitute/prostitution,sex,tour-guide
Country of Origin:
USA - Limited (07-25-2003)
Language:
English,Italian