Perfume: The Story of a Murderer

Tom Tykwer was not intimidated by the task of making a feature film with an idea, and the script of Perfume: The Story of a Murderer was not afraid of the attractive genre lure of a thriller. If you go watch this film and expect to see a classic bloody story about a murderer, you will probably go home annoyed and semi-suffocated by the descriptive and accentuated visual uniqueness of Perfume. But if you go see Tykwer's work as a film that intoxicates your senses, engages your mind, and, yes, like a fragrant candy on top, sometimes stirs your adrenaline with a little action, then there is no way you will be disappointed. My expectations of the proclaimed attack on the new sense, and a sense hitherto unexplored by film were not high, and that is good. In order evoke olfactory sensations, Tykwer uses well-proven visual (detail and expressive color) and auditory (amplification of certain sensations) means. It works commendably, but after the protracted introduction, the director shifts to a more usual style of storytelling, which is not a bad thing, especially when he works quite well with proven means (for all examples, worth mentioning is the short description of a series of murders that is fast, yet impressive). I really liked the central idea of the frantic pursuit of an ideal, after whose materialization Jean-Baptiste learns that there is only one scent that cannot be obtained: the scent of experience itself. And so Perfume is carried by this universal metaphor of an artistic act, it is carried by excellent actors led by the demonic Ben Whishaw and the sympathetically relaxed Dustin Hoffman. I would not hesitate to call parts of the story about the killer captivating, but on the other hand, it also has unnecessary shots. But his gradation and main idea are excellent, as are its... scents? Let's call it atmosphere. [I never read Süskind's book, so I only evaluate the film as it affected me without intertext overlap.] (12/27/2006)

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)

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)

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)