One Hour Photo (2002)

Redundant and unnecessary.

Great Film overall

The acting is good, and the firecracker script has some excellent ideas.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

In this film, Robin Williams gave life to Sy, an employee of a big store that works in the department of revelation of photographs. He is apparently competent and a good worker, but the truth is that he hides a fascination for a family he usually attend, the Yorkin's. When he realizes that the unity and joy of that family is in danger, he decides to act and protect the family.The film is not easy to digest. To begin with, the pace is slow, in order to construct the characters and plot in a more appropriate and perceptible way. Then you have the problem of the main character being dysfunctional and hard to like. Initially, he acts like a maniac, with an obsession with that family, to which he seems to wish to belong. We don't know if it's envy, if it's worship, if it's a mania. Even so, there is something rational about how he behaves, as we have seen in the explanations he gives to the police in the end. Another problem, especially for the more commercial audience, is the intellectual touches the film takes on regularly, in monologues or in discreet detail that many people may find boring or expendable. I confess, I enjoyed it.Little can be said about Williams' performance. He is brilliant. I never thought to see this actor, so attached to comedy and humorous characters, to give life to a character so dense and complex, with touches of villain, stalker and avenger punctuated with the sweetness of a lonely, needy and unhappy man. The remaining cast was also fine, but does not stand out and leaves room for Williams to shine as he deserves.Technically, this is a competent, but discreet film. Good cinematography, good light and color, good camera angles, and a discreet, yet capable, soundtrack. I would highlight the monologues, where the film shows some art.

'One Hour Photo (2002)' is a genuinely disturbing, but non-grotesque, film that stays with you long after its successfully subversive and ambiguous end. It further serves (along with 'Insomnia (2002' and 'Good Will Hunting (1998)') to prove that Robin Williams was a phenomenal dramatic actor capable of incredible diversity along with an understated charm that actually adds to the sort of suburban creepiness of the couple of frightening characters he took on. What he does here is bring a true, tangible humanity to a terribly disturbed, deeply damaged individual and the slow-burn of the piece expertly winds up the suspense for an unsuspected finale that is as shocking as it is successful, unrelentingly uncomfortable and incredibly engaging (in a 'watch through your fingers' kind of way). Even at its darkest, it never to loses sight of its character-based, not mean-spirited, focus. 7/10

I didn't know what to expect from this movie hen I first heard, I wasn't to sure if it was going to be a jump scare thriller with gore, which im a fan off but its nice to see something different that will keep on edge without over the top gore and scares.Mark Romenek deserves more credit he pulled off a great thriller, especially casting Robin Williams who is know for his comedic roles as a deranged stalker.One Hour Photo focuses on Sy, a lonely man who has no family or friends but works in a photo lab department of a suburban American grocery store. Sy knows all of his regular customers and memorises them by what photos they regularly come to get printed, But Sy has an unhealthy obsession with the Yorkin family.The Yorkin family is a happy family of three, mother Nina her partner Will and their young son Jakob. Mother and son have been using that lab for 7 years getting their prints to the point Jakob calls Sy 'Sy The Photo Guy' unknown to them over the years Sy has been printing off separate copies of the photos to put on his wall.Mid way through the movie we see the descent of Sy, from the helpful man to stalker, always seems to be there, reading the same books and has a fascination of being known as Uncle Sy and work his way in the family unit.After an incident at work Sy is fired, and realising he will never be in the family unit he starts to up the ante in being top stalker... After discovering Will's infidelities he goes all out in letting everyone know...If your after a thriller horror with loads of jump scares and gore this isn't for you, but its more for people who appreciate the classic thriller using great cinematography and intense atmosphere

I think the first time that I saw One Hour Photo I couldn't have been paying too much attention to it because I actually thought it was a very slow paced mediocre film. However, after now watching it for the first time since it's release and actually paying attention, it is definitely much better than I initially thought. The film is pretty slow-paced - that view's not changed - but when you pay attention, and understand & listen to what is happening, it doesn't feel all that slow as you become more drawn into the story, which is well written.The story isn't full of implausible moments, it doesn't have that "Hollywood touch" about it, and isn't full of the usual stalker film cliché's. I also enjoyed how it got you thinking if some of the later scenes were for real or if they were just in Sy's head. I mean the first main fantasy scene wasn't obvious until it's end, so maybe other scenarios weren't real either. It never confused you but it got you thinking which was good.The cast all do a great job with their roles, but Williams was the main standout with his performance of Sy. You know that Sy is obviously completely in the wrong with what he's doing but you still feel sorry for him and this is where Williams plays the part SO well. He doesn't make Sy seem like some clichéd sick twisted psycho...he portrays Sy as just a very nice but a sad, lonely individual whose only friend in life is his pet hamster. No matter what happens during the film, you just cannot feel any hate towards Sy.I sometimes don't notice the way scenes are filmed in movies at times, but the use of the colours to depict the mood for different scenarios was done well I thought. The main instance here being the difference between Sy's own personal world i.e. in his home, compared to that of the Yorkin's. It's not done for the sake of it nor to be "artsy", but done with reason which adds to the overall feel of the film.This isn't an amazing film, but it is enjoyable.