Product Description

An emotionally crippled man rents out his insane mother's room to a man he eventually suspects is a serial killer.
Genre: Horror
Rating: R
Release Date: 20-FEB-2007
Media Type: DVD

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #26264 in DVD
• Brand: FIRTH,COLIN
• Released on: 2007-02-20
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
• Formats: Color, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English, German, French
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .20 pounds
• Running time: 124 minutes

Amazon.com
A tense psychological thriller, Apartment Zero concerns the intertwining of a loner, film buff Colin Firth (The English Patient) and his new mysterious boarder (Hart Bochner) in present-day Argentina. The new roommate is enigmatic and outgoing, befriending everyone that the poor loner could not. But Firth soon suspects a connection between his boarder's appearance and the reports of bodies in the streets murdered for political reasons.

The heart of the film lies in the increasingly bizarre relationship that develops between the two opposites, breeding the seeds of mistrust. An original and offbeat noir-type drama, the film, cowritten by David Koepp (Jurassic Park), proceeds at a slow and deliberate pace, gradually drawing the viewer deeper into the intrigue and isolation of Firth's tortured soul. Some genuinely creepy moments and an all-around macabre mystery make this film worthwhile viewing for mystery fans everywhere. --Robert Lane

On the DVD
Anchor Bay's 2007 DVD release of Apartment Zero corrects two major shortcomings of the film's previous video releases. Director Martin Donovan cut eight minutes from the film when it was first released on VHS and laserdisc, and the 1999 DVD release was in full-screen format. This DVD restores the film to its original theatrical length (124 minutes) and 1.78:1 aspect ratio, finally allowing viewers to enjoy this exquisite psychological thriller as it was meant to be seen. Image quality isn't exactly dazzling (remember, this was a low-budget production), but it represents a significant improvement over previous releases, and in any case it's the best presentation available. And while Donovan's solo commentary (recorded in 2006) may seem quietly droning to some, he's actually providing a great deal of insight into the behaviors and motivations of his characters, spontaneously letting us into his own thoughts as he watches his film for the first time in years. Despite being a novice when the film was made, Donovan demonstrates a very clear grasp of the story's psychological dynamics and how they're reflected in the production design and, most importantly, the performances of Colin Firth and Hart Bochner, who became good friends after filming was completed.

The second commentary (also recorded in 2006) features co-writer David Koepp (later to become one of Hollywood's hottest screenwriters; this was his first produced screenplay) and director Steven Soderbergh, the latter billed as "special guest" on the DVD's special features menu. Because their careers began at roughly the same time, Koepp and Soderbergh share voluminous insights about independent filmmaking in the late 1980s, how the industry has changed since then, and how Apartment Zero played a substantial role in Koepp's early-career education (including the hard-earned lesson about never investing in your own movie projects). Their free-ranging conversation covers a lot of detail about the making of Apartment Zero (and Koepp is a lively source of production anecdotes), but it's most valuable to aspiring filmmakers as an authoritative discussion between two talented filmmakers who've learned a lot about their craft, and are able to articulately share their perspectives. Soderbergh also serves as an inquisitive film buff, asking pertinent questions that keep the commentary flowing at a constantly fascinating pace. It's a valuable snapshot of filmmaking past and present, coming from a writer and director who speak vividly from experience. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews

One of my all time faves!
What makes this film so good is how dangerous it is. It teeters on the edge of homosexuality and true friendship and at the same time casts Colin Firth as almost a damsel on the edge of madness to Hart Bochners rogue character. This movie is set in Buenos Aires and and creates a political climate, a delicate madness and an under current of so many divergent sexualities that fuel the film and keep pulling the rope taunter and taunter.
What makes this film so good is how eventually Firth's character expresses his love for a man who is a ne'erdowell and always will be. He goes to the brink of madness and violence but never of sexuality which is what twists this fikm in upon itself. Eventually it seems as if the relationship between the two becomes too fraught with peril for sex but all of there actions for each other are sexualized.
What I find interesting about this movie is that it in no way compromises its sexuality to be politically correct and instead challenges the watcher to stick with it thru a byzantine plot of identity that switches the nerd for the rogue and then the rogue for the nerd. Both men ultimately have no identity. firth's character by harsh abuse racked upon him by his family and currently dementia trapped mother and Bochner thru the way he must live for his terrorist lifestyle.
In the end Firth learns to absorb Bochner's character to have an identity and Bochner hesitates and theefore loses his own. The best movies are about things that are intangibly exchanged thru the physical world of actions representing so much more.

Atmospheric, haunting, compelling
Hollywood could never pull off a movie this hard to define. Set in Buenos Aires, it stars British Colin Firth, whom everyone is seeing stars over due to the new Bridget Jones film, and American Hart Bochner, the definition of attractive leading man if there ever was one. We need more movies with Hart Bochner's face filling the screen! When he rescues the cat on the ledge, it is movie-making magic. Bochner is a mysterious character who shows up and is taken in by Firth. While the film's ending is quite unexpected and, frankly, a little on the weird side, the flow of this film is gorgeous, careening between humanistic character study and slightly gory crime scenes. At its core, it's about a male friendship between two men who are unstable in different ways -- fascinating to watch. Why more people haven't seen this movie, I have no idea ....

Excellent Movie
I recently watched this movie three times in a row. The acting by Colin Firth and Hart Bochner is first rate. Jack is very likeable and lures people of both sexes. The sexual chemistry between Adrian and Jack is very evident. Adrian is one of several people that Jack seduces and he just has to look at you with his beautiful blue eyes to make you want to do whatever he wants. It is a very interesting look at human nature and it shows us that you can't always judge a book by its cover. People are not always what they appear to be. The ending of the movie was very intense and somewhat surprising. Once again, you can't judge a book by its cover. I highly recommend this movie.