Covering most all the ills in the world Cosmopolis gives its audience a slow moving picture of our decaying civilization.  Although the film is nicely acted and directed, there’s too much crammed into the nearly two-hour movie to really appreciate the meaning of it all.  The warning here insinuates the self-destruction of our great society.

Multi Billion dollar Eric Packer (Robert Pattinson) takes his daily ride around Manhattan.  On this one day however the traffic has swelled to a crawl due to blocked streets with the President being in town, anarchists protesting on major avenues and a funeral procession for a beloved rapper. His security director tries to convince Eric that the trip is an exercise in futility, but he will hear nothing of it, besides he needs a haircut from his father’s barber.

Along the route he meets his wife Elise (Sarah Gadon) a noted poet and very rich heiress who suspects Eric has been cheating on her, his financial advisor Michael (Phillip Nozuka) who goes over some challenging investments by his company Packer Capital, has sex in his limo with Didi (Juliette Binoche) a former employee, and spends a good stretch of time with Vija Kinski (Samantha Morton) a money soothsayer who talks about the coming of cyber capital, time acceleration, and the art of moneymaking.

Robert Pattinson as Eric in Cosmopolis

On one stop Eric takes Kendra (Patricia McKenzie), one of his security guards, to a hotel for an afternoon delight. The film goes on from there with director David Cronenberg (A Dangerous Method) showing the decaying of America with the growing violence and crime, resentment of the rich, sexual promiscuity and infidelity. He gets up close to the protesters who exhibit their hate for capitalism and greed and even shows a surprise attack upon Eric.  It gets really daunting when Eric meets Benino Levin (Paul Giamatti) one of his former employees that’s hell bent on killing him because of his own wasted life in a dead end job.

Cosmopolis is that kind of film that makes a statement through example and Cronenberg holds nothing back.  Using Eric as his guide, the audience gets taken for an enlightening ride through the biggest city in America pointing out the dangers that we face including a bleak future controlled by the rich and dangerous.

Cosmopolis has been rated R by the MPAA for some strong sexual content including graphic nudity, violence and language. The film is not for everyone and most people who go to the movies for mainstream wide release entertainment or normally bury their heads in the sand about the monetary future of the world, may not like Cosmopolis at all.  Choose this movie only if you like involving films that tackle complex themes.

FINAL ANALYSIS: Not exactly my cup of tea, but still fascinating. ★★★★★★

Additional Film Information:

• Cast: Robert Pattinson, Juliette Binoche, Paul Giamatti, Samantha Morton and Sarah Gadon
• Directed by: David Cronenberg
• MPAA Rating: R for some strong sexual content including graphic nudity, violence and language
• Genre: Adaptation, Drama, Foreign
• Running Time: 1 hour 48 minutes
• Opening Date: August 24, 2012
• Distributed by: Entertainment One Films