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The Million Dollar Hotel

Threat advisory: High - High risk of entertaining activities

Movie propaganda

is a story of friendship, betrayal and the overwhelming power of unconditional love.

A gang of unique outcasts and misfits live in a downtown Los Angeles flea pit, known locally as the Million Dollar Hotel. Their story is seen through the eyes of a lovesick innocent named Tom Tom (Jeremy Davies), who has fallen head over heels for the tarnished street angel Eloise (Milla Jovovich).

As their relationship develops, the Million Dollar Hotel becomes the focus of a police investigation: one of its residents, the engaging junkie Izzy, has come to a grisly end. To the amazement of his neighbours, he is revealed to have been the son of a billionaire media magnate. Every denizen of the Million Dollar Hotel falls under suspicion in the enquiry led by FBI hard-liner, Detective Skinner (Mel Gibson). As Skinner's investigation proceeds, the lines between murder and suicide, sane and deranged, become very blurred indeed.

Also starring Jimmy Smits as Geronimo, Peter Stormare as Dixie, Amanda Plummer as Vivien, Gloria Stuart as Jessica, Tom Bower as Hector, Donal Logue as Charley Best, Bud Cort as Shorty, Julian Sands as Terence Scopcy, Harris Yulin as Stanley Goldkiss, Richard Edson as Joe and Charlayne Woodard as Jean Swift. Written and directed by Wim Wenders from a story by Bono.

Cinematic intelligence sources

Million Dollar Hotel official movie site
Awards and film festivals:

Berlin International Film Festival 1999: Silver Bear jury prize for directing
Cinematic Intelligence Agency Trenchcoat Awards 2001

Studios and distributors:

20th Century Fox

Intelligence analyst

Special Agent Matti

Theatrical report

When Mel described The Million Dollar Hotel as "boring as a dog's ass" he was joking. You will know he was joking when you go and see it and have your brain put through a blender.

This flick is a gutter-level crawl through the depths of humanity and the vicissitude of existence. Those who are high will fall and those who are low will climb toward the heights. Those who cannot climb will stare up at the sky as their limbs rot away to a putrefying puddle.

Mmm... putrefaction...

Meanwhile, there's a great detective mystery story going on. In the best tradition of cinematic whodunits all the clues, both true and false, are laid out for you to see. It is then up to you to beat Skinner to the punch, if you can. Alternatively you can climb on the boat and watch scenery pass by as you float down the river. Be warned, whichever option you choose, your head won't be the same at the end. Just trying to figure out whether it was murder or suicide is mind-bending enough, let alone who might've been on the scene to assist.

Jeremy is chaos incarnate which works well with Mel's concrete headset and Milla's opaque viscosity. Wim's direction is, to say the least, exotic but that suits the location and the characters and the story down to the ground. In combination, they have created a piece of film that will come at you from left field, no matter on which part of the field you're standing.

Cool.