Fletch's Film Review: The Painted Veil

A short take on The Painted Veil:

My feeling walking away from this was: painfully predictable, yet excellently made, acted, filmed, etc. Edward Norton is the main attraction (as usual) and was the draw that brought me to see the film. Naomi Watts (and Toby Jones, amongst others) are all excellent as well.

But it's hard to get over the predictability of it all. A key plot point is telegraphed to the audience, painful to watch in its obviousness. I understand the movie is not intended as a twisty, turny potboiler, but it was riduclous to remove any suspense there might have been.

The location (the rivers and mountains near Shanghai) are gorgeous and should be billed as a co-star to Norton and Watts. Despite the depressing nature of the backstory (cholera epidemic), the film might as well be a commercial to come visit China.

All in all, worth seeing, especially if you're into the Merchant-Ivory style of filmmaking (though I am not).

78 out of 100