VeteranLight I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

Steineded How sad is this?

ActuallyGlimmer The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

Humaira Grant It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

g-moff The movie is about a guy - Brad McCullam - who killed his mother with a sword while she was having coffee in a neighbours' house. There are witnesses, very soon after the murder police appears and the chief investigator Havenhurst (William Dafoe) tries to find out the motives while the murderer seems to keep two hostages in his house across the street. The whole movie feels very calm, very un-tense the whole time. No dramatic "swat" action (although a "swat" team appears), no drastic violence scenes, no last-minute-twist etc. So it might not be the appropriate feed for the usual car-chase-loving-crowd. But it's worth watching imho. We see Havenhurst investigating, he appears to be an experienced, sovereign cop. He talks to the murderers' fiancée and another of his acquaintances. In several flashbacks we find out that McCullam had an intense, possibly morbid relation to his mother. He also started to act disconcerting after a trip to Peru where he saw all his fellow travellers dying in a river. With Havenhurst we realize step by step that Macallums increasingly obvious-odd disturbances were never reported to a doctor or anyone else who could've handled his problems professionally. Even shortly before the murder, when McCullam begs two neighbours to hit him with a baseball bat before he 'will do it', nothing happens. No one interferes. So he gets arrested and that is nearly the end of the movie. There is no moral judgement. His fiancée and others might've prevented the murder, their 'good intentions' kept them from it. Also, McCullam might've tried to prevent his Peru travel mates from going on their fateful rafting voyage, but he didn't. Although 'god' told him not to join them. The whole movie is presented in a semi-documentary style which fits to Herzog who has shot several documentaries in his career. Additionally it fits to the fact that this story is based on a similar murder case. The score is excellent. Summary: a life gone wrong. Some close bystanders might've seen it coming, though.

clbobman There has been a lot of bad talk about this film but I have watched a lot of Herzog and I love this movie. It is an investigation primarily on mental illness, city life, and how people can get really messed up inside the "walls" of the city (and the little enclaves like families that exist within it). A very strong performance by Michael Shannon and I have to say this guy is really starting to hit his straps now after starting out in bit-part hoodlum roles etc., many years ago. He really has an intensity in this role that no-one else could have accessed, and I mean no-one. This was casting at its absolute best; his big physical presence and natural 1000 yard stare really added to the role. Again Herzog has gone out and made a movie that no-one else wanted to make. It has been a while since I saw it now, but I remember a moment of pure beauty at the end of the movie, I think with with a boy, a ball and a tree within the hugeness of the mega-city wasteland. These are moments where Herzog somehow gives us his inner feelings.

h-english-329-216405 "My Son, My Son, What have Ye Done?" definitely succeeds in it's downright strangeness. But despite it's rather unique approach it ultimately fails to leave any lasting impact. We first meet Brad, the deranged protagonist, moments after he has murdered his own mother at a neighbours house - this should be interesting. He clears the scene to return home just as the cops arrive to inspect. When the police learn of Brads whereabouts, and that he holds two hostages, they enter a typically lengthy negotiation process that provides the plot. However,the story is really about exploring the corrupted nature of Brad and discovering the source of his insanity. This is provided via flashbacks harnessed by police detective Hank (Willem Dafoe), whilst conducting interviews.The flashbacks provide early insight into why Brad may have killed his mother yet they don't develop particularly well. Also, Brad is too one-dimensional to care for. He's over-nurtured, dependable, detached from reality and almost devoid of any redeemable features. From the outset the sources of his insanity are suggested quite clearly: his over-possessive mother and the trauma he suffered in Peru. Yet the film lingers on numerous lengthy scenes that lose interest rather than reinforce these points. A sinister bedding track plays consistently through these laborious scenes in an attempt heighten purpose.Michael Shannon, well renowned for his chilling ability to play dark characters, performs strongly as usual. But not even he can give this film the kick it needs to hold out its hour-and-a-half running time. He's essentially running the film solo. His co-stars just exist in the story. Willem Dafoe's only purpose is to crossover between flashback and real time. Michael Pena has even less to do, and Chloe Sevigny and Udo Kier are rather lifeless and forgettable."My Son, My Son ..." is a film that certainly packed plenty of potential, but is truthfully dwarfed by other character studies of its kind. A continual surge of over-elaborate scenes will sadly overwhelm its positives, including another great Michael Shannon performance.

rgslinger This movie -if one call that crap "a movie" that is- is an outright insult to the art of cinema. Sound and songs are awfully annoying, acting is way down below zero...Some psychopatic killer makes a story eh? Please gimme a break! Any wacky teenager would make a better movie out of this story.. (When I say story, I apologize to all those who appreciate a real story.. Sorry this crap doesn't even have a story)I have serious concerns about the mental health of those who could grade this crap as a "masterpiece". I guess those people must get some professional help.. NOW ... not any minute later