A good movie

Since it was the very last movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio which I hadn’t see yet, of course, I was really eager to check it out. It is probably one of his most obscure features and it took me quite a while to get my hands on it. As a matter of fact, Rimbaud was supposed to be played by River Phoenix but he tragically died just before production started and was therefore replaced by DiCaprio but I thought he was a perfect choice. And so was David Thewlis. Still, I wasn’t sure about their performances. I mean, there were some good bits but it was also quite frequently rather over the top. Also, the fact that they mixed an American actor, an English actor and some French actors to all portray some French people was rather odd and didn’t work very well. Still, the main subject, the stormy relationship between Arthur Rimbaud and Paul Verlain, was quite spellbinding and I always had a weak spot for the tormented life of some messed up artists. Still, as usual, like most of the movies dealing with poetry, it focuses mostly on their romantic and sex life and, even though you seem them writing a lot (at least, Rimbaud. As a matter of fact, I don’t remember seeing Verlaine writing a single word) , you don’t hear much poetry which was too bad. Still, it must be the most risky part by Leonardo DiCaprio and even though he didn’t quite nailed it, it was still an interesting and courageous attempt. To conclude, in spite of its flaws, I actually liked this flick and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.

7/10