Chaos (2003)
87%RT Audience Score: 82%
Awards & Nominations: 2 wins
Chaos is a feminist revenge drama/satire that is a deliciously unladylike tale of payback. The film’s two female leads deliver steely performances that are filled with anger, making it a satisfying watch. The mixture of odd pacing and a longish, off-putting flashback may be a bit jarring, but the film’s dexterity and casting hold us through the wonderment. The men in the film are rather obvious targets, but we come to care about the women in their lives beyond any agenda Chaos might have. The film’s great trick is building scenes where the actors can’t stop moving, making the stakes so stupid, so high, and so chaotic. It’s a sort of Hansel and Gretel outing with machetes and chainsaws substituting for the mythic oven, and it’s a lot of fun. Overall, Chaos is a feminist masterpiece that is sure to leave you feeling empowered and entertained.
Chaos is a feminist revenge drama/satire that will leave you feeling empowered and satisfied. The two female leads give steely performances that will make you want to stand up and cheer. The men in the film are obvious targets, but the women in their lives are what make the story truly compelling. The film is a lot of fun and the scene where the actors can’t stop moving is a great trick that makes the stakes so high and chaotic. It’s like a Hansel and Gretel outing with machetes and chainsaws substituting for the mythic oven. Overall, Chaos is a deliciously unladylike tale of payback that you won’t want to miss.
Production Company(ies)
Tri Star Pictures, Freddie Fields Productions,
Distributor
New Yorker Films
Release Type
Filming Location(s)
Saint-Élie-de-Caxton, Québec, Canada
MPAA / Certificate
Rated PG-13 for violence and language
Year of Release
2003
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby Atmos DTSIMAX 6-Track Dolby Digital
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Aspect ratio:2.39 : 1
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Runtime:1h 52m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Jan 17, 2003 Original
Genre(s)
Comedy/Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Catherine Frot, Vincent Lindon, Rachida Brakni, Line Renaud, Aurelien Wiik, Ivan Franek, directed by Coline Serreau, written by Coline Serreau, Comedy, Drama, Mystery & Thriller, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Moira MacDonald, Bill Muller, Stanley Kauffmann, Michael O’Sullivan, Vic Vogler, Marta Barber, Chase Burns, Greg Muskewitz, Brian Mckay, Prairie Miller, Emanuel Levy, Robert W Butler, produced by Alain Sarde, MPAA rating, feminist revenge, Parisian couple, prostitute, coma, racial tensions, feminist satire, knives, chainsaws, Hansel and Gretel, female action, thriller, unpredictable, comic tone, household scenes, women’s rights, responsibility, chance, bourgeoisie, apathy, French (Canada), New Yorker Films, Surround, Dolby SR, Dolby Digital, Dolby A, Dolby Stereo
Worldwide gross: $26,508,132
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $28,830,423
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,558
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 3,143,994
US/Canada gross: $13,287,908
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $14,452,018
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,509
US/Canada opening weekend: $3,775,350
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $4,106,096
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,127
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $125,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $135,950,840
Production budget ranking: 257
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $73,209,527
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): -$180,329,945
ROI to date (est.): -86%
ROI ranking: 1,932
Vincent Lindon – Paul
Rachida Brakni – Noemie/Malika
Line Renaud – Mamie
Aurelien Wiik – Fabrice
Ivan Franek – Touki
Director – Coline Serreau
Producer – Alain Sarde
Writer – Coline Serreau
Director(s)
Coline Serreau
Writer(s)
Coline Serreau
Producer(s)
Alain Sarde
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
2 wins
Academy Awards
All Critics (51) | Top Critics (18) | Fresh (43) | Rotten (8)
There’s a core of anger running throughout Chaos, particularly in the steely performances by its two female leads, that gives this satisfying feminist revenge drama/satire its soul.
July 25, 2003 | Rating: 3/4
Moira MacDonald
Seattle Times
TOP CRITIC
Despite some odd pacing and a longish, off-putting flashback, Chaos succeeds more than it fails.
June 19, 2003 | Rating: 3/5
Bill Muller
Arizona Republic
TOP CRITIC
The picture holds us, not only through our wonderment at the mixture but through Serreau’s dexterity and her casting.
May 28, 2003
Stanley Kauffmann
The New Republic
TOP CRITIC
One heck of a tale of deliciously unladylike payback.
May 23, 2003
Michael O’Sullivan
Washington Post
TOP CRITIC
The men, filled with brutality and neglect, make for rather obvious targets, yet we come to care about the women in their lives beyond any agenda Chaos might have.
May 23, 2003 | Rating: 3/4
Vic Vogler
Denver Post
TOP CRITIC
It’s a lot of fun.
May 16, 2003 | Rating: 3/4
Marta Barber
Miami Herald
TOP CRITIC
They sprint across the screen. It’s a great trick to build a scene where your actors can’t stop moving. It makes the stakes so stupid, so high, so chaotic.
January 20, 2022
Chase Burns
The Stranger (Seattle, WA)
October 25, 2011 | Rating: 5/5
Greg Muskewitz
eFilmCritic.com
October 25, 2011 | Rating: 5/5
Brian Mckay
eFilmCritic.com
Sort of a Hansel and Gretel outing with machetes and chainsaws substituting for the mythic oven.
April 9, 2007
Prairie Miller
Long Island Press
August 10, 2005 | Rating: 3/5
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com
A sort of female action/revenge fantasy whose knives are sheathed in amusement.
February 18, 2005
Robert W. Butler
Kansas City Star…
Plot
In the not-too-distant future, Todd Hewitt (Tom Holland) discovers Viola (Daisy Ridley), a mysterious girl who crash lands on his planet, where all the women have disappeared and the men are afflicted by “the Noise” – a force that puts all their thoughts on display. In this dangerous landscape, Viola’s life is threatened – and as Todd vows to protect her, he will have to discover his own inner power and unlock the planet’s dark secrets. From the director of The Bourne Identity and Edge of Tomorrow and based on the best-selling novel The Knife of Never Letting Go, Daisy Ridley and Tom Holland star with Mads Mikkelsen, Demián Bichir, Cynthia Erivo, Nick Jonas, Kurt Sutter, and David Oyelowo in Chaos Walking.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
The film features Catherine Frot, Vincent Lindon, and Rachida Brakni in the lead roles.
Coline-Serreau.jpg
