Perfume : The story of a murderer

Perfume : the story of a murderer is a 2006 movie directed by Tom Tykwer, based on the acclaimed novel, Parfum. Set in the 18th century France, this is the unusual tale of a ruthless murderer and his quest for the perfect scent. The story unfolds with the birth of Jean Baptiste Grenouille in a fish market, which is also where the story ends. Interesting no..!! Now this baby is born with an extraordinary talent. He can smell anything, anywhere no matter how far it is and also differentiate which smell belongs to what. Cool stuff. Being born in place of stink, he goes in search of the world’s finest scent, which was once told by the ancient Egyptians, that it had the power to make a person feel he/she is in paradise, till the scent fades away. Now how such a sweet story is related to the story of a murderer is how this movie stands out significantly from other movies. Everything is perfect in this movie. The director has maintained the serious mood throughout the film, which is commendable. He has shown goriness in a different way. Not how Eli Roth does with his silly “Hostels”. Hope no more Hostels in the future. Grenouille (Ben Whishaw) impressed me from his first scene till the last. Has a lot of similarities to Eric Bana (looks-wise). There is no prominent leading lady. Many come and go. But on the every character has done a neat job. The surprise element of this movie is Dustin Hoffman. Man, I’ve always loved his acting. He plays a very different role and has done it impressively as always. Music doesn’t stand out in this movie. It just goes on with the scene. The visual element dominates the background score completely. It’s visually so good. I’ve to appreciate Frank Griebe for his excellent cinematography. It has been the real hero of this film. The second hero has been the direction. Third has been the different storyline. Fourth has been the one of most unexpected climaxes ever. Its movies like these that make world cinema proud of. On the whole, it’s a move not to be missed. If you get a chance to watch on TV, don’t miss it. If not rent a DVD and watch it a.s.a.p.

Rating :
3.5/5

Trivia :
Hollywood greats like Ridley Scott, Tim Burton, Stanley Kubrick & Martin Scorsese expressed interest in filming this classic novel. Can’t imagine how better this movie would be if one of these legends had directed.