X
- 1966
- Not Rated
- Sigma III Corp.
- 1 h 52 m
- 1966
- Not Rated
- Sigma III Corp.
- 1 h 52 m
Summary In search of help, two wounded gangsters on the run find refuge in the secluded castle of a feeble man and his wife; however, under the point of a gun, nothing is what it seems.
Directed By: Roman Polanski
Written By: Gérard Brach, Roman Polanski
- 1966
- Not Rated
- Sigma III Corp.
- 1 h 52 m
- 1966
- Not Rated
- Sigma III Corp.
- 1 h 52 m
Cul-de-sac
75
6.7
Summary In search of help, two wounded gangsters on the run find refuge in the secluded castle of a feeble man and his wife; however, under the point of a gun, nothing is what it seems.
Directed By: Roman Polanski
Written By: Gérard Brach, Roman Polanski
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 10 Critic Reviews
75
70% Positive
7 Reviews
7 Reviews
30% Mixed
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 10 Critic Reviews
75
70% Positive
7 Reviews
7 Reviews
30% Mixed
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Shades of Pinter and Beckett are affectionately retouched with dark humour, dynamic wordplay and a tension all Kubrick's.
Cul-de-sac functions better as an affectionate goof on Waiting For Godot, enhanced by an unforgettable setting that naturally severs the trio from contact with the outside world.
Neat little chiller with Polanski honing his abilities as a director and standout performances from Pleasence, Stander, and Dorleac.
Pleasence, in a role that requires him to run sideways most of the time with his head at a crooked angle, is hilarious and frightening as a man going mad, and the film has an eerie appeal.
If the subject matter is bleak and bitterly serious, the tone throughout is darkly comic, while the precise imagery effortlessly conveys the tension, the claustrophobia, and the madness of the situation.
A flawed film to be sure, but one with flashes of inspiration, occasionally stunning visuals and a Shakespearean sense of claustrophobia.
Is Mr. Polanski endeavoring to tell us anything about life or crime or perversion in this complex and terminally morbid joke?If he is, I sure don't get it — except maybe that people are sick, that even good humor isn't funny and that social sterility is.
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 6 User Ratings
6.7
67% Positive
4 Ratings
4 Ratings
17% Mixed
1 Rating
1 Rating
17% Negative
1 Rating
1 Rating
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 6 User Ratings
6.7
67% Positive
4 Ratings
4 Ratings
17% Mixed
1 Rating
1 Rating
17% Negative
1 Rating
1 Rating
There are no user reviews yet. Be the first to add a review.
Production Company
Compton Films,
Tekli British Productions
Release Date Nov 7, 1966
Duration 1 h 52 m
Rating Not Rated
Tagline Sometimes There's Nothing Better To Do Than Laugh!
Awards
Berlin International Film Festival
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
BAFTA Awards
• 1 Nomination
