Perfume: The Story of a Murderer

A film, where even the closing credits have their specific scent. A scent both intoxicatingly sweet and desperately bitter. The perfume is a masterful and above all complex work, in which Tykwer shocked me with his precision and, above all, rawness. It is rare for me to be hit by such a rough film that matches my taste, but here a pleasantly exceptional success was achieved. It is not difficult to succumb to the magic of the film, with such fascinating editing and perfect musical accompaniment, few can resist. Another key advantage is the main character, who, despite their perversity, is strangely believable and induces almost guilty sympathy. (06/24/2007)

Four stars, but a weaker four stars. If it weren't for Hoffman and Rickman, I'd give it a three, especially for the cinematography, which gives you a really unreal feeling of being "right there". I haven't read the book, so I don't know why, but I was bothered by the ending, which was so very bland. Moreover, films in which the viewer is supposed to root for the real asshole (whatever his motives for doing what he does) are always harder for me. (11/06/2009)

Tom Tykwer is very inventive and has a head full of ideas, which he throws at the viewer with an unprecedented force, and he managed to adapt “Perfume” to the movie screen as well as possible. If we add great actors and the truly beautiful visuals, the occasional plot gaps and excessive running time can be forgiven. A truly unique story, a truly unique film. (05/25/2008)

Perfume: The Story of a Murderer is a film that everyone must form their own opinion about. It cannot be summed up in just one sentence. Tom Tykwer is an interesting director who made a name for himself in the independent film industry and has a very unique style. Here, he had the resources of a large production company, and a decent budget, and created a captivating blockbuster with excellent casting and appropriate special effects and set design. For a significant part of the film, I was convinced that five stars were not enough, because Paris looked more convincing than I could have ever imagined. The filth of the streets literally crawled off the screen, I could smell the sewers and the fish market directly from the individual shots, and the editing and cinematography were so great that they characterized the individual characters within a few moments. The strong story of an individual rejected by society on the outskirts, raised without love and in poverty, yet equipped with extraordinary talent, was very suggestive, and the visual aspect of the film was so excellent that if I had visited that period, I would probably have been disappointed by reality. However, I simply missed the point of the story, and even if I consider it a metaphor, I still couldn't swallow it. The miracle at the execution site simply bothered me, plain and simple. And even though I understand what the screenwriter wanted to say, I would have chosen a completely different ending. So in the end, I only give it three stars and an overall impression of 65%, which is really a shame for such a film. (04/01/2008)

In some scenes, Tykwer reaches the edge of perfection itself, but it fails to achieve a full set of stars due to a fairly large number of shortcomings. Primarily the middle part which could easily have been cut by about twenty minutes without doing any harm. This attempt at imparting a perfume just by means of a combination of visuals and music didn’t work completely, nor could it. Even so, in many scenes, when Tykwer tries hard, it is emotionally strong and stays in your memory for long after. I also liked the really bizarre closing third of the picture which could easily compete with some of the really big “weirdities" from Asia. I can’t say that Perfume is a great movie, but it is certainly unforgettable, and that means a lot. ♫ OST score: 5/5 (04/21/2022)