The Immigrant

Name: The Immigrant
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Thriller, Romance
Released: May 16, 2014
Duration: 120 min
Rating: 77
Cast: Dagmara Dominczyk, Jeremy Renner, Joaquin Phoenix, Marion Cotillard

2014

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 34 Critics

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 79 Ratings

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7.4

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7.4	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 79 Ratings

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The Immigrant

Movie Details & Credits

Weinstein Company, The | Release Date: May 16, 2014

Starring: Dagmara Dominczyk, Jeremy Renner, Joaquin Phoenix, Marion Cotillard

Summary: 1921. In search of a new start and the American dream, Ewa Cybulski (Marion Cotillard) and her sister Magda (Angela Sarafyan) sail to New York from their native Poland. When they reach Ellis Island, doctors discover that Magda is ill, and the two women are separated. Ewa is released onto the mean streets of Manhattan while her sister is1921. In search of a new start and the American dream, Ewa Cybulski (Marion Cotillard) and her sister Magda (Angela Sarafyan) sail to New York from their native Poland. When they reach Ellis Island, doctors discover that Magda is ill, and the two women are separated. Ewa is released onto the mean streets of Manhattan while her sister is quarantined. Alone, with nowhere to turn and desperate to reunite with Magda, she quickly falls prey to Bruno (Joaquin Phoenix), a charming but wicked man who takes her in and forces her into prostitution. And then one day, Ewa encounters Bruno's cousin, the debonair magician Orlando (Jeremy Renner). He sweeps Ewa off her feet and quickly becomes her only chance to escape the nightmare in which she finds herself. [The Wild Bunch]… Expand

Director: James Gray

Genre(s): Drama, Mystery, Thriller, Romance

Rating: R

Runtime: 120 min

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Awards & Rankings

82	#82 Best Movie of 2014

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Metascore

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Critic Reviews

100

San Francisco Chronicle - G. Allen Johnson

May 26, 2014

An astonishingly beautiful, irresistibly grim movie. Read full review

New York Magazine (Vulture) - David Edelstein

May 19, 2014

It’s richer than anything onscreen right now. It’s worth the pain. Read full review

The Globe and Mail (Toronto) - Geoff Pevere

Jun 5, 2014

Visually evokes Coppola’s "Godfather Part II" and Leone’s "Once Upon a Time in America," but in its utterly irony-free melodramatic sincerity also suggests a silent-era woman’s picture à la D.W. Griffith, King Vidor or G.W. Pabst. Read full review

New York Daily News - Joe Neumaier

May 17, 2014

The strength of Gray’s movie lies in showing the connection between people in a place without rules. Read full review

St. Louis Post-Dispatch - Joe Williams

May 22, 2014

The Immigrant is not unlike a Prohibition-era “Taxi Driver,” with Cotillard as the apprentice hooker, Phoenix as the sweet-talking pimp and Jeremy Renner (playing the theater’s magician, Orlando) as the would-be savior. Read full review

TheWrap - Diane Garrett

May 15, 2014

Gray does show some amusing facets of this world, such as prostitutes dressed up as society figures like the Rockefellers and Astors, for instance, but mostly The Immigrant is a bleak affair. Read full review

The Telegraph - Robbie Collin

May 26, 2013

Dialogue aside, the craftsmanship is unimpeachable, and Gray takes a timeless approach to pacing and camerawork: even the sunlight is sepia-tinted. But the grand themes of loyalty and ambition never catch fire, and the film’s few truly memorable moments are invariably its smallest. Read full review

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User Reviews

LizLemon44

May 16, 2014

Beautifully filmed and featuring 3 superb performances from Marion Cotillard, Joaquin Phoenix, and Jeremy Renner. Not everyone will enjoy the pace, but the film is most rewarding to people who pay close attention to its details. Films just aren't made like this anymore. I consider it to beBeautifully filmed and featuring 3 superb performances from Marion Cotillard, Joaquin Phoenix, and Jeremy Renner. Not everyone will enjoy the pace, but the film is most rewarding to people who pay close attention to its details. Films just aren't made like this anymore. I consider it to be one of Grays best, and with career-best performances from Cotillard and Renner. I think there's a chance that the audience for this kind of film will be smaller than others, slow building melodramas typically are these days, but Gray has made a masterpiece of his.… Expand

3 of 3 users found this helpful30

wlk68

May 24, 2014

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Just got back from seeing this and I thought it was excellent. The
cinematography was gorgeous and the performances were very powerful.
I'm sure that what happened to Eva happened to a lot of young women.
Bruno was a very **** character, drawing her in and putting her
in more and more desperate situations, taking full advantage of the
fact that she would do anything to get her sister off of Ellis Island.
And making it seem like it was her decision to boot! When all of your
options suck what do you do? If you have a strong will to survive, you
do what Eva did.

I know that Eva was charmed by Orlando/Emile (Jeremy Renner) but if
she'd gone with him I think she would've ultimately regretted it. While
well meaning, he came across as something of a flighty dilettante who
would've dropped her the moment something shinier and newer came along.
His character was all élan and dash with very little substance,
purposely so.

The final scene between Eva and Bruno was perfect and I hope that come
Oscar season this movie gets some recognition.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

smiyamot

Jun 12, 2016

Life was brutal back then, and maybe still is. A pretty immigrant is "picked" by a pimp because of her circumstances to join his "lovely doves." Not unlike the sex trafficking going on today, but it was out in the open back then. A lot is involved with these 2 main characters and theirLife was brutal back then, and maybe still is. A pretty immigrant is "picked" by a pimp because of her circumstances to join his "lovely doves." Not unlike the sex trafficking going on today, but it was out in the open back then. A lot is involved with these 2 main characters and their personal lives.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

NRNSW

Jul 25, 2015

This was a nice film to watch, with some fantastic performances (particularly by the lead performers). But there just seemed to be something missing - I think it might have been edited too much and a lot ended up on the cutting room floor unnecessarily.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

silasbodnick

May 23, 2014

The movie looks beautiful but it's just a little slow for my liking. I really do enjoy Marion Cotillard's work as a general proposition but in this movie I thought she was underutilized and had far too many blank stares. Frankly I would take just about any episode of boardwalk empire overThe movie looks beautiful but it's just a little slow for my liking. I really do enjoy Marion Cotillard's work as a general proposition but in this movie I thought she was underutilized and had far too many blank stares. Frankly I would take just about any episode of boardwalk empire over this move. Or come to think of it any of episode of Copper. Each of those television series approach the era with much more vigor and superior characterization and storytelling. I was hoping that Jeremy Renner's role would be a bit more significant, and I thought that Joaquin Phoenix might display a little bit more rage. It is certainly worth seeing but I have to give it only a modest recommendation.… Expand

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

beingryanjude

Dec 3, 2014

Marion Cotillard is heart-wrenching in one of the best performances of her career. Nevertheless, The Immigrant is often stale and spends far too long meandering without intriguing purpose.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

captaindanger

May 26, 2014

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This movie was incredibly disappointing. The characters are static and the main character is completely abused for no reason. Literally, the horrible things that happen to her don't even move the plot along. The whole story seems to have no point in my opinion.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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