The Burning Plain

Cause harm repeatedly to most parts of the body and they eventually grow desensitised, calloused and indifferent to the pain over time. This dispassionate, earthy and very dry aesthetic that film-maker Guillermo Arriaga applies to the world of his first major... Full review

Just saw this memorable piece at the Newport International Film Festival. It is a beautifully framed, exquisitely visual movie featuring remarkable, ground-breaking performances by Theron, Bassinger, Lawrence and ALL of the male actors. No clichés attached to "The Burning Plain". The... Full review

The movie reminded me of Babel, which is not that crazy since Arriaga wrote and directed Babel together with Alejandro González Iñárritu. (I only found this out after I saw The Burning Plain). Whereas I thought Babel was good but not... Full review

I had recently become a fan of both Guillermo Arriaga and Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's work through their previous four films Amores Perros, 21 Grams, The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada, and Babel (in order of release). In hearing of their creative... Full review

This is the first feature directing experience for Guillermo Arriaga. Already an established writer (Amores Perros, Babel, The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada), Arriaga promisingly directs his own script in this movie. The movie follows the characteristic feature of Arriaga's script:... Full review

The pace of the film (probably due to poor editing) is inconsistent. The first half of the film is engrossing, but the second half can be easily predicted. A lot of scenes of the second half can be edited out. Apart... Full review

Charlize Theron and Kim Bassinger headline a film written and directed by Guillermo Arriaga, who wrote Babel, 3 Burials of Melquides Estrada and 21 Grams, three films who's appeal has eluded me. The time tripping movie has Theron dealing with events... Full review

The writer Guillermo Arriaga, much famed for his trilogy of films with director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, namely Amores Perros, 21 grams and Babel, steps behind the camera and debuts his own directing skills with 'The Burning Plain' a multi-layered affair that... Full review

Screenwriter Guillermo Arriaga, the one of "21 Grams", employs a very peculiar narrative style to tell stories of different characters, Charlize Theron's Sylvia, Jennifer Lawrence's Marina, and Kim Basinger's Gina. At first everything seems a bit messy (various threads seemingly insignificant)... Full review

Following his artistic divorce from Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, writer Guillermo Arriaga, whose Tarantino-inspired interlocked storytelling also formed the basis of Tommy Lee Jones' magnificent The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada, makes his debut as director with The Burning Plain, another recount... Full review

For what it's worth, The Burning Plain is the better film.... ... Full Review

Burning Plain' a confusing tale....Just because you tell your pretentious, plodding story out of order doesn't mean it's any less pretentious or plodding.....Charlize Theron and John Corbett co-star in The Burning Plain, a confusing story about birds, blonds and lusty teens..... ... Full Review

The film is not without interesting moments or performances.....To paraphrase the old joke about lawyers, sometimes a screenwriter who represents himself on film has a fool for a client.....It's possible to admire the performances of stars Charlize Theron and Kim Basinger in The Burning Plain....Theron plays her part mad and is all the more interesting for being unlikable.....But he may not have the editorial skills to be a good director..... ... Full Review

the tone is overwrought melodrama..... ... Full Review

This would be a great film....The film's cast, which Arriaga directs well, performs ably in such an emotional story....Chronologies aside, the intricately twined narratives still lack some of the passionate realism of Arriaga's other scripts..... ... Full Review

October 19, 2009 Richard Powers' Generosity features a preternaturally buoyant Algerian refugee who is found to have a gene for happiness. Is joyousness catching? Reviewer Jane Ciabattari says it is. ... Full Article

Starring Charlize Theron, Kim Basinger, Joaquim de Almeida, and Brett Cullen. Directed by Guillermo Arriaga. 106 minutes. At major theatres. 18A In The Burning Plain - a fractured tale of forbidden love, race and class angst, guilt, betrayal and loss... ... Full Article

October 15, 2009 Author Oscar Casares never used to be a reader - until the excitement of The Burning Plain and Other Stories showed him what he had been missing. ... Full Article

Drama. Directed by Guillermo Arriaga. Starring Kim Basinger and Charlize Theron. (Rated R. 111 minutes. At Bay Area theaters.) Fans of Mexican director Alejandro Gonz?lez I??rritu know that his multitextured, multilayered films owe much of their elaborate weave to the... ... Full Article

COLLABORATING WITH director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, Mexican screenwriter Guillermo Arriaga created "Amores Perros," "21 Grams" and "Babel," powerful, critically acclaimed dramas of heart and pathos built on elaborate, interwoven tales. ... Full Article

"The Burning Plain" is the directorial debut of acclaimed screenwriter Guillermo Arriaga. Guillermo Arriaga, screenwriter of critically acclaimed "Amores Perros," "21 Grams" and "Babel", directs his first feature film "The Burning Plain" which released on Friday. ... Full Article