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Tim Robbins, Bridget Moynahan, William Hurt, Margarita Levieva, Gabrielle Brennan ... see more see more... , María Ballesteros , William Baldwin , Keir O'Donnell , Jessica Almasy , Ramón Fernández , Maryam Myika Day

Tim Robbins, Bridget Moynahan, and William Hurt star in writer/director Henry Bean's topical urban comedy following one man's quest for a little peace and quiet in the big city. The noise was botherso... read more read more...me when David Owen (Robbins) first moved to New York City, but back in those early days it was almost endearing in an odd sort of way; a forgivable manifestation of urban vitality, or so he had led himself to believe. These days the incessant barking of car alarms, traffic, and frustrated commuters seems to be driving David insane, never allowing him the opportunity to concentrate or focus on the task at hand. While this distraction is at first only bothersome on a superficial level, however, the thing that really riles David is that he is completely powerless to remedy the problem. As the days go on and the noise on the street seems to amplify in David's ears, he makes the decision to take up arms against the unseen intruder. Initially, David is content to simply let the air out of tires or leave notes on windshields when the owners of cars fail to turn off their alarms. When this approach fails to yield acceptable results, David's subversive urban sabotage techniques quickly evolve into full-blown acts of vandalism. Eventually, David is caught in the act and arrested by the police. After spending a night in jail, David confesses to his wife that he is in fact the urban folk hero who has come to be known by the public as "The Rectifier" for his repeated attempts to hold those responsible for urban noise pollution accountable for their auditory transgressions. When his wife voices concern about such extreme and irrational behavior, David dutifully agrees to give up his career as a noise-fighting vigilante. But try as he might, David simply cannot repress his lingering urge to strike back against such a formidable enemy. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Flixster Users

58% liked it

4,285 ratings

Critics

57% liked it

44 critics

Unrated, 1 hr. 27 min.

Directed by: Henry Bean

Release Date: October 22, 2007

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DVD Release Date: September 16, 2008

 

Stats: 574 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (574)

  • moonrivers
    March 3, 2012
    moonrivers
    A little comedic gem that asks "what bothers you about society" and then " why aren't you fighting against it?" Not laugh out loud funny, but certainly an interesting afternoon.
  • hunterjt13
    October 7, 2010
    hunterjt13
    Netflix identifies this as a comedy, but there wasn't a funny frame in the whole film. Even as a dramatic film, it's muddled, as though the director and writer didn't know what the film was about. At the end, neither do I. We're given no reason for Owen's eventual transformati... read moreon or his obsession, and the motivations of the women around him are equally mysterious. In the end, this is the poorest imitation of Taxi Driver that could possibly be concocted. Although, despite the bad hair piece, William Hurt flawlessly transforms himself into the smarmy, impossible-to-like mayor. Yet another great performance by Hurt in a poor film.
  • LWOODS04
    May 27, 2010
    LWOODS04
    CAST: Tim Robbins, Bridget Moynahan, Margarita Levieva, Gabrielle Brennan, William Baldwin, William Hurt, Maria Ballesteros

    DIRECTED BY: Henry Bean

    SUMMARY: A man who is being driven crazy by the noise in New York City decides to take vigilante action against it.

    MY THO... read moreUGHTS: "Strange, funny, & definitely different. Tim's character is a bit moronic. Not a great film, but not completely bad either. The acting is great, as it always is when it comes to Tim Robbins. I'm certain some can relate to why he's annoyed and upset, but most probably won't go to the extremes his character does."
  • rubystevens
    November 29, 2008
    rubystevens
    was this a comedy? weak. some semi interesting ideas that lacked focus and edge. barely kept my attention
  • gator681
    July 8, 2009
    gator681
    In "Noise," Dave Owen(Tim Robbins), an attorney who lives on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, gets so distracted by the sounds of blaring car alarms that he cannot concentrate on reading Hegel or much, much more importantly, have sex with his beautiful wife(Bridget Moynahan), a ... read moreclassical musician. Eventually, he takes to the streets with the nom du plume of the Rectifier, attacking car alarms wherever they may lurk, earning the ire of Mayor Schneer(William Hurt), until his secret is uncovered by Ekaterina(Margarita Levieva), a young journalist.

    "Noise" is an uneven movie that cannot decide whether it wants to be farce or straight social commentary. It does have a clear target in activists who the movie implies make mountains out of molehills. On the contrary, urban activists can do a lot of good and I saw an example of that in the Vancouver Museum with its exhibit on bicycles in the city.

    My question is: why car alarms? They are so 80's. Generally noise is the heartbeat of any city. And there have been "Twilight Zone" stories about guys like Dave and none of them end well(nor does the other movie where Robbins plays an urban vigilante, for that matter). And if you really want to see a New York City that is quiet, check out "I Am Legend" and think about how it got that way.
  • SC007
    May 9, 2009
    SC007
    On the positive, Tim Robbins really shines in this film. He gives a terrific performance. I loved the style of this film. Bridget Moynahan also does a good job playing his wife in the film. On the negative, I thought some of the supporting actors were miscasts. They are too over ... read morethe top at times. Robbins performance is the main reason to check out the film.
  • lesleyanorton
    April 30, 2010
    lesleyanorton
    Probably the efficacy of this film depends on how much car alarms and burglar alarms and the other aural nuisances of urban existence really piss you off., especially when it's 3am and you know the owner is sleeping sound and smug several streets away. If you've ever had your sl... read moreeep disturbed in this way, you too might thoroughly enjoy watching Tim Robbins showing the damn car who's boss by taking a hammer to it. Yay, The Rectifier.
  • EnigmaticHallucination
    March 15, 2010
    EnigmaticHallucination
    The social commentary in this movie is brilliant. You got Tim Robbins as the normal every day guy who gets tired of noise. Car alarms are the thing that really sets him off. We have all been there, some jack off has an annoying car alarm and it always goes off but yet nobody care... read mores and it runs for up to 3 minutes before it finally shuts off. At this point you're hoping someone does steal it just to get it away so you don't have to hear it anymore. But back to the important stuff. This movie follows Tim's crusade against the annoying noise that comes with living in a big city. Personally was just another reminder of why NOT to live in a big city because there is all that stuff to deal with. It's a relateable movie although I found myself hating the character of his wife. She was a real piece of work. I found watching his character grow and become more focused and meaningful throughout the movie really made it something special. Watching his early days breaking windows to cut the battery cable all the way to striving to find a more real solution is fun to watch.
  • jusstpete
    May 13, 2012
    jusstpete
    Good movie but I feel like it could have reached a higher breaking point. Still worth the watch though.
  • angelmusikal
    November 13, 2009
    angelmusikal
    Good movie but I feel like it could have reached a higher breaking point. Still worth the watch though.

View All Noise Reviews

Critic Reviews

Claudia Puig
October 18, 2008
Claudia Puig, USA Today

Amid the seasonal din of so many raucous summer blockbusters, Noise offers blessed relief in the form of a strong central performance, sharp dialogue and edgy humor. Full Review

Carina Chocano
October 18, 2008
Carina Chocano, Los Angeles Times

How can you resist a hero who gets worked up because a car alarm disrupts his extremely tenuous grasp on a difficult but life altering passage of Hegel? Full Review

Jay Weissberg
September 25, 2008
Jay Weissberg, Variety

Amusing but marginal. Full Review

Peter Rainer
May 16, 2008
Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor

The black comedy Noise may be a one-joke movie but it's a resonant one. Full Review

Steven Rea
May 15, 2008
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer

A tale of obsession and vigilantism cut with humor and a little Hegel, Henry Bean's Noise is a satisfyingly screwy New York story in which a successful businessman/family man jettisons all because he ... Full Review

Peter Travers
May 15, 2008
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

It's wickedly amusing for a little bit, but ultimately the film becomes what it's fighting: just noise.

David Denby
May 12, 2008
David Denby, New Yorker

A splendidly eccentric independent film written and directed by Henry Bean. Full Review

Richard Roeper
May 12, 2008
Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper

There's an intriguing canvas here, but Bean paints in broad strokes and then just sort of gives up at the end.

Stephen Whitty
May 9, 2008
Stephen Whitty, Newark Star-Ledger

Like the car alarms it demonizes, Noise is insistent and initially attention-grabbing -- but eventually a little one-note and empty. Full Review

Kyle Smith
May 9, 2008
Kyle Smith, New York Post

The movie has enough big-city wickedness and merry cruelty to keep things skittering unpredictably. Full Review

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