Kieran Elliott Oh gods, this movie was awful. I give it a middling score as it was in certain parts visually compelling and there was nothing wrong with the acting, but it was poorly edited and paced, thought it was a lot smarter than it was, and made not a lick of sense.This seems to be a movie designed to defend itself with cries of 'it's so artistic' or 'it's not a dumb popcorn action movie', but I like slow movies, clever movies, and this was neither of those things. It's plot meanders about with cuts that make little sense, the emotion doesn't hit home, and while it is not incumbent on a movie to raise questions and then answer them (sometimes the point is there is not an answer, at least not a clear one), that's an artistic decision that needs intelligence and skill to pull off, and the movie lacked both, at least when it came to storytelling.There's enough hope at the start for something to tie it all together into something that might be decent, I was intrigued, and I'm fine with a slow pace, but what did come together in the end was a mess without emotional impact.Sorry if this all sounds harsh, perhaps despite my protestations to the contrary I am merely an uncultured barbarian who cannot appreciate the deep themes that were being aimed for...but I find it hard to credit the movie enough to think that. Self indulgent, it probably made sense in the writer's head as a character portrait set against a fantastical metaphorical backdrop, but on the screen the story was not compelling, the character's not given enough to work with to be interesting, the attempt to weave the settings together was clunky, and not enough was done to justify why this tale needed it.

jtaveras64 I really wanted to like this film. It has all the elements i love in film, EVA GREEN! Gothic and neo noir style, beautiful visuals and an intriguing beginning. It does however have a major flaw, i could not connect with this ever convoluted plot. It was irrational and nonsensical and tried to hard to be clever delivering any sort of rationale for the final 5 minutes. Which means sitting through a movie that functions as a puzzle that never really materializes. It certain is unique, and it did have potential. But then it didn't. Simple as that. Final Grade C-

Claudio Carvalho In a parallel world, the dark and chaotic Meanwhile City is ruled and controlled by religious Powers That Be. The masked vigilante Jonathan Preest (Ryan Phillippe) seeks out the evil Mr. Tarrant (Bernard Hill), who has abducted the eleven year-old Sarah to force her to join the Duplex Ride sect. Preest uses the scum Wormsnakes (Stephen Walters) to find Mr. Tarrant to rescue Sarah. However he is betrayed by Wormsnakes and imprisoned along four years by the religious agents. He learns that Sarah was murdered and when he succeeds to escape from the imprisonment, he chases Mr. Tarrant to kill him and bring justice to Meanwhile City.In London, Emilia Bryant (Eva Green) is a suicidal that misses her father and despises her mother. Milo Franklyn (Sam Riley) is a young man that was left by his wife Karen and seeks comfort with his friends Dan and Laura. Milo has the sensation that he has seen his red-haired childhood sweetheart Sally (Eva Green) on the street and decides to go to his school to research Sally's address. However, he meets her at school and they schedule a date in a small restaurant. Meanwhile, Peter Esser (Bernard Hill) is seeking out his missing son David Esser (Ryan Phillippe), who is disturbed with the loss of his sister Sarah, and he meets Bill Wasnik (Stephen Walters) that gives an address to him. Peter goes to visit his son that is wanted by the police and waits for him in the same restaurant that Milo will meet Sally. The worlds of these characters are entwined with revelations about painful truths."Franklyn" is an intriguing and original movie about distorted minds protecting painful truths. The screenplay keeps the mystery until the very end and the visual concept of Meanwhile City is twisted like the mind of David Esser. Eva Green is impressively beautiful even performing a character without glamor. The beginning is hard to follow but if the viewer gives a chance, he or she will will not be disappointed. My vote is seven.Title (Brazil): "O Justiceiro Mascarado" ("The Masked Vigilante")

evileyereviews With a slow and confusing buildup, this flick threatens to be too clever for most patrons. But somehow getting lost in this flick is more a wonderful bliss than discombobulating tragedy. As it moves forward, there exists a sense that this confusion will soon be assuaged, a definite tribute to the confidence that the director inspires in his viewers. The story is of four lost souls that share the same canvas of a portrait comprised of four seemingly different palates. As the story unfolds, hints of intertwining fates tantalize the viewer, but the denouement is nothing short of spectacular when our heroes actualize fate's appointments. The acting was sublime, whose exclamation point was punctuated with Eva Green's exhilarating role. The direction offered a pace that kept the viewer perfectly in the dark, without losing interest, but instead in rapture with intrigue. The use of color to differentiate different worlds was amazing, bringing the notions of reality and fantasy into the same conference room for a sort of treaty mediation. The score was nothing less than the voice of this movie's soul, escorting us along its emotional byroads. For those comfortable outside of the realms of Hollywood's safety zone of commercial entertainment, Franklyn offers a clever and entertaining mug of fantasy in collusion with every man's quest for safe passage in life. Merci beaucoup.Genruk of Evil Eye Reviews