Vice

Unsubtle Dick Cheney bio-pic is the political bludgeon we deserve

"...asset of his tendency toward remoteness to play the cipher-like Cheney along his path from a Wyoming hooligan, scared..."

Dec. 21, 2018 Movie Review by Kimberley Jones

War Dogs

Jonah Hill and Miles Teller star in this true tale about gun smuggling

"...here, but he’s playing more of a Harry Lime-like cipher – an oil slick of malevolence that Teller’s hero-simp..."

Aug. 19, 2016 Movie Review by Kimberley Jones

Fading Gigolo

John Turturro directs himself and Woody Allen in this movie that gently cruises but but never drives it home.

"...Turturro plays the title character Fioravante, a 50ish cipher who has only his part-time job as a florist..."

May 9, 2014 Movie Review by Marjorie Baumgarten

Cosmopolis

Even though it stars Robert Pattinson, we doubt his Twilight fans will fully appreciate this sleek, dystopian story that David Cronenberg adapted from Don DeLillo's 2003 novel.

"...a chilly, funereal phantasm, less human than bleak, symbolic cipher. He is the vampire of the present/future, sucking the..."

Aug. 24, 2012 Movie Review by Marc Savlov

Headhunters

This Norwegian crime thriller is anchored by a schemer who brings on his own ruin.

"...catch a break, whereas Hennie's Roger – first a cipher in a slick suit, finally the roughed-up prey-turned-predator –..."

June 1, 2012 Movie Review by Kimberley Jones

Hannibal Rising

Who would have thought mass murder and cannibalism could be so dull?

"...Hannibal Rising. Instead we get Ulliel, an elegantly chiseled cipher with minimal acting talent and a laughable accent that..."

Feb. 9, 2007 Movie Review by Josh Rosenblatt

The Hitcher

This remake of Robert Harmon's original 1986 horror semiclassic serves as a primer in how not to generate suspense.

"...pair, whose efforts to rid themselves of this anti-karmic cipher only lead to more bad juju. Is Ryder some..."

Jan. 26, 2007 Movie Review by Marc Savlov

Let's Go to Prison

Bob Odenkirk directs this comedy written by the Reno 911! team, but consider this one disarmed and extremely pointless.

"...so on. Shepard's always been something of a comedy cipher (see Zathura), operating either in either sleazy or puppy-dog..."

Nov. 24, 2006 Movie Review by Marc Savlov

Peaceful Warrior

It's mostly hoo-hah, but there are moments in this New Agey, feel-semi-good crowd-pleaser that rise above and beyond the gymnastics and psychobabble.

"...instance, what are we to make of Nolte's nameless cipher? There are hints throughout the film that the character..."

June 23, 2006 Movie Review by Marc Savlov

Red Eye

Red Eye’s no classic, but with its smart, twisty little script and those two killer performances, it's a helluva lot of fun.

"...Corman, say, but Murphy’s chilling take on this cold-blooded cipher of a man (we never really find out who..."

Aug. 19, 2005 Movie Review by Marc Savlov

Murderous Maids

"...the movie allows, the sisters' true motivation remains a cipher. Partly, this is due to the two stunning performances..."

Aug. 16, 2002 Movie Review by Marjorie Baumgarten

Mumford

"...Mumford cast is uniformly solid (especially Davis and the cipher-like Dean), it doesn't hold up in the end run,..."

Sept. 24, 1999 Movie Review by Marc Savlov

Pi

"...behind Max's quest. Gullette plays Max as a closeted cipher; he's the physical manifestation of too much time spent..."

July 31, 1998 Movie Review by Marc Savlov

U.S. Marshals

"...the beginning in The Fugitive, Sheridan is a total cipher to both Gerard and the audience until deep into..."

March 6, 1998 Movie Review by Russell Smith

Fire Down Below

"...I still consider the whispery-voiced, beetle-browed Seagal a complete cipher and perhaps the most baffling box office draw in..."

Sept. 12, 1997 Movie Review by Russell Smith

Shine

"...closely, making David Helfgott almost as much of a cipher at the end of the movie as at the..."

Dec. 25, 1996 Movie Review by Marjorie Baumgarten

Faust

"...isn't Faust per se; instead, Svankmajer makes him a cipher, an unidentified Everyman, who, one day, while passing through..."

Oct. 14, 1994 Movie Review by Marc Savlov

This Boy's Life

"...lost in the mix and ends up a sideline cipher. Director Caton-Jones (Scandal, Memphis Belle) once again shows his..."

April 30, 1993 Movie Review by Marjorie Baumgarten

Actress

"...it's just plain hard to care about this gorgeous cipher of a woman...."

March 26, 1993 Movie Review by Marc Savlov

Damage

"...seems most like a real person, rather than a cipher. In one scene towards the film's end, she lets..."

Jan. 29, 1993 Movie Review by Steve Davis

Turtle Beach

"...Hardened and extremely cynical, Chen is something of a cipher with her noble title acquired through marriage, her ignoble..."

May 8, 1992 Movie Review by Marjorie Baumgarten

"My Energy, How I Move": Blakchyl's Evolving Hip-Hop Embodies Austin's Eastside

The 78702 rapper on exploring beyond her comfort zone

"...see it publicly. I do feel there is hope." Cipher Cloth..."

July 14, 2023 Music Feature by Derek Udensi

She Was Just 17

The best way to approach music as an under-21 female: Play it

"...The Cipher Crew wants you to know it isn't your ordinary..."

Jan. 16, 2009 Music Feature by Margaret Moser

Knights of the Zodiac

Overstuffed adaptation of smash manga Saint Seiya

"...any more than we can be invested in a cipher or symbol. Archetypes can help with economic storytelling: But..."

May 19, 2023 Movie Review by Alejandra Martinez

Tesla

Ethan Hawke illuminates the electrical genius

"...photographs, over and over again. He's an enigma, a cipher, too often the charismatic bit player in his own..."

Aug. 21, 2020 Movie Review by Richard Whittaker

Sputnik

Russian sci-fi horror is a welcome break from all the '80s throwbacks

"...devoid of character development. Klimova is something of a cipher, a woman whose motivations seem to vary depending on..."

Aug. 14, 2020 Movie Review by Matthew Monagle

On a Magical Night

French fantastical bedroom farce trudges when it should dance

"...weight of Maria's actions. Everyone else feels like a cipher of a character, there to serve the overall moral..."

May 22, 2020 Movie Review by Richard Whittaker

The Death of Dick Long

A redneck comedy takes a tragic, compassionate turn

"...Lydia (Newcomb, extraordinary in what could have been a cipher of a role), when her world starts to fall..."

Sept. 27, 2019 Movie Review by Richard Whittaker

Transit

A contemporary retelling of life in occupied France has chilling modern resonances

"...front and center with Georg himself: He is a cipher among the world unfolding around him, a world that..."

March 29, 2019 Movie Review by Josh Kupecki

Past Life

Avi Nesher's film is a thoughtful examination of forgiveness

"...intentionally scripted for most of the film as a cipher. But Rieger and Tagar capture the intimacy and competitive..."

June 23, 2017 Movie Review by Kimberley Jones

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