One of modern fiction's most eccentric killers gets his cinematic incarnation by great experimental filmmaker Tom Tykwer. Perhaps in less apt hands, the exceedingly preposterous plot would have translated worse onto the screen, given it's heavy reliance on sensual output based upon one man's irrationally accurate sense of smell. Through the perceptive frame of this director though, does this most unusual drama get to stretch it's unique scent. Perfume will have it's lulls after an initially captivating setup. Some of the acting does not match up with the director's skewed, period-piece vision (Dustin Hoffman's acting especially seems lazy and out of place here), and the midsection feels a bit stretched out while expecting viewers to suspend major doubts in the progressively foolish murder-mystery. But as a most unusually gripping finale takes shape, one is reminded how unabashedly original these characters and motivations are played out in this impressive production, resulting in a praise-worthy vision of an adaptation.
Review of Perfume: The Story of a Murderer
