I am quite fond of films that use a limited amount of locations to tell their story. 'Cosmopolis' mostly takes place in a limoisine as a guy travels across the city to get a hair cut. The film is based on the novel by Don Delillo and to me comes across as one of those books which would have been a challenge to adapt. There is not a lot that happens in the story except the guy, Eric Parker, is visited by various people in his life and he makes a few stops along the way. It is more of a character study and commentary of modern life. This is not only a positive for the film but a negative as well. The people that Eric picks up along the way are used to express various philosphical points of view. We learn about Eric and his point of view as a way of discussing broader views. This has a downside in that there is a lot of information to take in. You have to really pay attention to what people are saying and think about what they are saying. You have to be in right frame of mind to absorb all of what is being said. It may warrant a second viewing to fully appreciate what is being said.
I admire Robert Pattinson for using his fame from the 'Twilight' series to become part of a diverse range of films rather than sticking with the same type of film that made him famous. He is however not the greatest actor around and usually comes across as quite bland. He seems to have the same mood and expression in all situations. That suits his role here as Eric is not the most emotive person around. The rest of the cast are mostly cameo appearances as Eric meets people along the way. I was quite impressed with Samantha Morton, Philip Nozuka and Juliette Binoche.
The simplistic nature of the films setting is offset by the complex nature of the material being expressed. A thought provoking film about today's society that maybe trying to say too much.
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