SummaryNot everything is as it seems for Cristi, a police inspector in Bucharest who plays both sides of the law. Embarking with the beautiful Gilda on a high-stakes heist, both will have to navigate the twists and turns of corruption, treachery and deception. A trip to the Canary Islands to learn a secret whistling language might just be what they need... Read More
Directed By:Corneliu Porumboiu
Written By:Corneliu Porumboiu
The Whistlers
Metascore
Generally Favorable
76
User score
Generally Favorable
6.5
My Score
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Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
89% Positive
25 Reviews
25 Reviews
11% Mixed
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Mar 26, 2020
100
Fans of the director may be a little mystified by what at first seems like something of a commercial sellout, by a director known for more challenging material. And indeed, The Whistlers has more than enough sex and violence to satisfy the average action movie fan. But dig a bit deeper, and you’ll find a mother lode of meaning just below the surface.
Feb 25, 2020
83
Playing with genre cryptograms of gangster villas, opera-loving killers, and glamorously lit cigarette smoke, the film never takes itself too seriously, even if its characters never seem to smile.
Feb 27, 2020
80
This is as close to a multiplex contender as Porumboiu is likely to get, which may of course aggravate those that like their drinks sour, their bread hard and crusty, and their films to be as esoteric as possible. For those that don’t mind a bit of fun along the way this quirky, surreal crime thriller just might work its way into your heart.
May 21, 2019
80
Porumboiu gives us a knotty, twisty, nifty plot that’s quite involved but hangs together well, and there’s an amusing juxtaposition of gloomy, rainy Bucharest and the sunny terrain of La Gomera. We also get a neat and unexpected coda.
Sep 6, 2019
75
Corneliu Porumboiu’s film is very much a genre exercise, and a particularly Soderberghian one at that.
May 21, 2019
70
The script may hum and buzz with twists and require concentration, but that's not exactly the same as being intellectually satisfying and rich the way Porumboiu's earlier work was. They were closer to profound; this is just clever.
May 7, 2020
40
A stylish and fitfully engaging crime thriller with a great concept, let down by incoherent plotting and impenetrable characterisation.
User score
Generally Favorable
47% Positive
8 Ratings
8 Ratings
53% Mixed
9 Ratings
9 Ratings
0% Negative
0 Ratings
0 Ratings
Jun 26, 2020
7
This is a police crime comedy made in Romania, or at least they claim it is a comedy.
The protagonist policeman Cristi is a member of a team uncovering a drug money mafia trail.
Yet he works on both sides, so he has to be very cautious to outsmart both police and mafia. It is a good piece of entertainment. The plot does not matter but it is fun to watch. Excellent soundtrack. Directing is quite original and elegant which makes the movie stick out of similar films of the same genre. The ending was a bit disappointing but overall I liked the movie.
Production Company:
- 42 Km Film
- Les Films du Worso
- Komplizen Film
- Romanian National Center for Cinematography
- Eurimages
- Arte France Cinéma
- Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR)
- Film i Väst
- Filmgate Films
- Studioul de Creatie Cinematografica al Ministerului Culturii
- Bord Cadre Films
- Cinema City
- MK2 Films
- ARTE
- Canary Pictures Vehicles
Release Date:Feb 28, 2020
Duration:1 h 37 m
Tagline:Loyalty is not their language.
Awards
Gopo Awards, Romania
• 9 Wins & 13 Nominations
Seville European Film Festival
• 1 Win & 2 Nominations
Online Film Critics Society Awards
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
