5月6日

May 6th is the final film from controversial Dutch director Theo Van Gogh--he was murdered by an extremist while completing post-production on this film--and his death casts a considerable shadow over the assassination storyline of this exciting thriller based on real events. Van Gogh anchors his story on the 2002 murder of right-wing politician Pim Fortuyn, which is accidentally captured on film by a photographer (Thijs Romer) during a glamour shoot. After noticing some curious details in the background of one shot, he begins investigating the crime, and uncovers a vast network of shadowy figures, ranging from a Turkish immigrant to Dutch investigators and businessmen, all of whom appear to be connected in some way. As with all of Van Gogh's films, the acting is top-notch and the direction bold and delivered in a semi-documentary style; his nods to Hollywood-style action and romance, however, leave something to be desired, but they won't detract too greatly from the film itself, which is a tense and politically charged drama that poses more questions that the average mainstream American thriller. A 55-minute documentary on the murder of Van Gogh, as well as his video diaries, is included on the disc as supplemental features. --Paul Gaita