Crime and Punishment

Author: Manos Peponakis
Location: N/A

"Crime and Punishment"

Directed by David Cronenberg
Written by Josh Olson
Based on the novel by Fyodor Dostoievsky
Music by Howard Shore
Cinematography by Robert Elswit
Editing by Michael Kahn
Costume Design by Sandy Powell
Art Direction by John Myhre & Gretchen Rau

Principal Cast:

Adrien Brody (Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov)
William Hurt (Pyotr Petrovich Luzin)
Viggo Mortensen (Dmitri Prokovich Razoumichin)
Keira Knightley (Sonja Semionovna Marmeladova)
Judi Dench (Pulcheria Alexandrovna Raskolnikova)
Natalie Portman (Avdodia Romanova Raskolnikova)
Imelda Staunton (Katerina Ivanovna Marmeladova)
Ian McKellen (Arcadius Ivanovich Svidrigailov)
Thomas Kretchmann (Porfiri Petrovich)
Anthony Hopkins (Semion Zaharich Marmeladov)
Dominique Swain (Nastasia)
Barbara Babcock (Aliona Ivanovna)
Lily Tomlin (Elisavet)

Tagline: "And then life exists! 23/11/2007"

Synopsis: The first period film of Cronenberg and an adaptation of a masterpiece. Rodion, a young and poor Russian student in Saint Petersburg decides to murder an old woman but then he is filled with remorse. He seeks desperately for punishment. But no one suspects him.

What the press would say:

Not a typical Cronenberg film. Cronenberg abandons the modern crime/drama to return to the most archetypic crime/drama book of international literature. The masterpiece of Dostoievski "Crime and Punishment" which deals with the haunted soul of a poor student who turned out to be a murderer. An anatomy of the human soul. Adrien Brody acts superbly in the leading role, surrounded by an exceptional supporting cast. Mortensen as his devoted friend. Kretchmann as the flic. Hopkins as a drunkard. Portman as a sister who wants to save her brother. Dench as his mother. Staunton as a fymatic woman who wants to protect her family from the disaster. Knightley as the woman who leads Rodion to the end of the drama. Josh Olson did a very good job with the screenplay, following the novel as good as it gets, respecting the great Dostoievsky and providing each character with depth. By all means a movie that can sweep the Oscars.

For Your Consideration
BEST PICTURE
BEST DIRECTING- David Cronenberg
BEST ADAPTEWD SCREENPLAY- Josh Olson
BEST ACTOR- Adrien Brody
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR- William Hurt
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR- Anthony Hopkins
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR- Ian McKellen
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS- Keira Knightley
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS- Judi Dench
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS- Imelda Staunton
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS- Natalie Portman
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE- Howard Shore
and various technical categories