Krisztina Agoston-Vas People tend to hate this movie. Maybe because of "the lack of action". I highly recommend it. Everything (well, almost everything) happens in a room during a visit. AND IT IS INTERESTING ENOUGH. The cast is amazing (Kate Winslet, Cristoph Waltz, Jodie Foster, John C. Reilly) the dialogs, the actions, etc. There's a variety of emotions from hate to "love" and then from "love" to hate. Everything is depicted impeccably with the help of an amazing cast. It's ironic, it's funny and relaxing to watch. Also, it's absurd cause the kids are getting along, they don't "feel the drama". It's all about that specific parental exaggeration which is rarely a movie topic. Well done!

paul2001sw-1 'Carnage' is a play filmed by none less than Roman Polanski, although one assumes he personally didn't oversee the location-setting shots in Brooklyn, New York. But it is in some senses a very American story, a pair of affluent liberal couples meet up to discuss amicably a conflict that has taken place between their children, and end up descending into a pit of mutual fury and bile. But the overall structure is forced: the natural thing to do when you can't reason with someone is to walk away, especially if you take particular pride in thinking of yourself as civilised. Without a locked room, the story makes less sense. And while it aspires to be a scathing satire on the pretensions of the privileged classes, most people are pretty partisan when it comes to their children. The film thus ends up as the tale of four not very nice people having an extended argument, full stop. Listening to them is one way you can pass eighty minutes of your own life, but you might find you have superior alternatives.

rogerdarlington I have never seen a film that looked so much like a play. Of course, it was originally a play written by the French Yasmina Reza but, even as a play, it is a story limited in time and space. Essentially the narrative is in real time (80 minutes) and, except for the opening and closing credits, all the action is set in a New York apartment (although all the shooting was in France under the direction of Polish Roman Polanski). And they are only four characters: two American couples played by John C Reilly & Jodie Foster and (Austrian) Christoph Waltz and (British) Kate Winslet. So, if you only like action movies, this is not for you.But where the film scores is with the cracking script, the fine acting and the shifting alliances: at first, the two couples trying to be co-operative in discussing a fight between their sons; then the couples taking sides in support of their respective off- spring; next each husband and wife in conflict with one another; eventually the men and women forming gender coalitions. More and more, we are reminded that the veneer of civility is so thin that it can be torn open by an argument, a word, a gesture. As one character puts it: "I believe in the god of carnage. The god whose rule's been unchallenged since time immemorial."

dglink Yasmina Reza's Tony Award winning play "God of Carnage" was adapted by the playwright herself for Roman Polanski's 2011 film version, renamed "Carnage." Reza's word feast is a juicy smörgåsbord for actors and a showcase for the film's four stars. However, with six Oscars and 17 nominations shared among the cast and the director, the outstanding results were not unexpected. Despite the Oscar glow, the four actors were evidently chosen for talent and range, not luster; all are better known for their on-screen and on-stage work, than their tabloid antics.An 11-year-old boy hits another 11-year-old boy with a stick on a Brooklyn playground, and the concerned parents meet to discuss the incident. Christoph Waltz and Kate Winslett, parents of Zach, the boy who wielded the stick, visit the home of John C. Reilly and Jody Foster, parents of Ethan, the boy with the missing teeth; the two couples intend to develop a plan of action to defuse the situation, soothe the pain, and prevent a recurrence. Lofty goals that lead down unexpected paths; the injuries and punishment take a back seat to simmering marital frustrations, overt class warfare, and personality conflicts.Waltz, a successful attorney, and Winslett, an investment broker, are obviously well off, somewhat aloof, and willing to solve everything by paying the bills. However, Foster is not easily put off, argues about semantics, and the seemingly polite talk about whether Ethan carried a stick or was "armed" with a stick quickly deteriorates into verbal sparring over parental responsibility. Waltz and Winslett have several opportunities to leave and twice reach the elevator; however, Waltz is seemingly addicted to coffee; the couple is easily lured back into Foster's lair, not once, but twice, baited by Reilly's coffee and Foster's notorious apple-and-pear cobbler. The baked fruit delicacy leads to hilarious consequences, as do a vase of fresh flowers, Waltz's cell phone, and Foster's coffee table art books.Workaholic Waltz is glued to his cell phone and constantly interrupts the verbal exchanges with calls to and from clients. Meanwhile, cool sophisticated Winslett has every hair in place, until the cobbler and a bottle of scotch loosen her up, literally and figuratively. Reilly, initially the laid-back man of reason, eventually erupts, and he exposes both his sexual frustrations with Foster, his tightly wound neat-freak wife, and his resentment of the arrogant, socially superior Waltz. While the scotch bottle empties, the verbal sparring ratchets up. Like an evening with George and Martha in "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf," this Brooklyn foursome is not good company, except for the audience. Foster, Reilly, Winslett, and Waltz all give award-worthy performances; no upstaging, no star turns, a well-rehearsed, seamless ensemble at its best.The film's one false note is the production design. Reilly and Foster's apartment is an interior decorator's dream; the furniture and appliances are pricey and likely out of reach for the couple portrayed; while the ordered, color coordinated rooms could be consistent with the Foster character, Reilly seems too casual to live there comfortably, unless they have an "Odd Couple" marriage. However, art direction is a small point, and the set fades into the background when the fireworks start. "Carnage" is a short 80 minutes, fast paced, often funny, well written, superbly acted, and, that rarity in movies, viewers will leave wanting more.