To me, this movie is perfection.

Good , But It Is Overrated By Some

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

Monica Bellucci adopts a young Asian child. Years later Bellucci begins having nightmares and someone or something seems to be interested in her son, who it appears has a great hidden power.I love the idea of Bellucci and Catherine Deneuve in a movie together. I only wish the pairing wasn't in a movie as dull as this. Its a been there and done that film (I mean how many films are there where the adoptive parents didn't know their kid was special?) that has nothing new to offer. Its such an "exciting" film and I was so "intrigued" by what was happening that I didn't bother to finish the film when the DVD I wigged out and wouldn't play, I simply put it into the returns slot and let someone else deal with it. I'm guessing that thats whats been happening all along with that particular copy of the DVD. Don't run the risk of getting the bad DVD thats floating around, don't see this film.A snoozer.

I selected this film from the Blockbuster new release shelf b/c I like foreign films and well crafted horror/suspense movies.Catherine Deneuve was very impressive as mother Laura's friend Sybille,a lady who is disarming yet distant,she is easy to picture as quite comfortable strolling a white beach on a winter morning."the Stone Council" is effective in it's climax,timing,and presentation.I would recommend to fans of older films of the genre such as "Rosemary's Baby" and the original "the Wicker Man".Monica Bellucci deserves honorable mention for her portrayal of a mother who won't be stopped from saving her adopted son Liu from his kidnappers,who believe their ancient sorcery will make them immortal (come on you creeps - who really wants to live forever....?)

In France, the single translator Diane Siprien (Monica Bellucci) adopts an Asian baby named Liu-San (Nicolas Thau) in a foundation directed by Sybille Weber (Catherine Deneuve). Years later, a weird mark appears on the boy's chest and Diane and Liu share their dreadful nightmares. Diane is assigned for a three-day job in German and she leaves Liu with her friend Sybille. However, while going to the airport, Diane finds Liu hidden in the backseat and startles with an eagle flying toward the windshield, crashing her car. Liu falls into a coma and his digital recorder records the boy speaking in an unknown dialect. When Diane searches the translation and the origins of Liu, she is surrounded by mysterious murders. She discovers that the dialect is from the mystic Mongolian Tseven tribe and that Liu is a powerful Observer; further, he is in danger, threatened by sorcerers that need the boy for their Council of the Stone."Le Concile de Pierre" is an intriguing and complex supernatural thriller. However, the story is too long for 102 minutes running time, and the director and the screenwriter use the resource of ellipsis to keep the pace of the movie and a poor development of the characters. What I most like in this movie is that there are very few clichés in the mystic story; the locations in Mongolia and of course the performance of the goddess Monica Bellucci wearing short hairs and very few make-up. My only restriction is to the lack of emotion transmitted by the movie, with a cold narrative. My vote is seven.Title (Brazil): "O Ritual da Pedra" ("The Stone Ritual")

first, i'm not sure those who commented previously (and badly) on this film have seen other Jean-Christophe Grangé's adaptations - if you had, you'd admit LE CONCILE DE PIERRE is by far the best. Grangé's books - besides sucking - are hard to adapt, caus way too dense and not cinematographic; that's why directors/writers usually take lots of liberties w/th the storyline, turning it into a big farce w/th a grandguignolesque denouement (remember LES RIVIERES POURPRES and L'EMPIRE DES LOUPS?). knowing that, i expected the worse, but was pleasantly surprised. Guillaume Nicloux managed to keep his own distinctive style, creating a sticky, haunting atmosphere. now about Monica Bellucci... she's good, period. yes, she moans, cries, looks sad/lost, but damn, she's credible. it's totally refreshing to see her in a different role. as for Catherine Deneuve's being over the top, i never thought she was that much of a good actress, so no comment. rest of the cast was OK, and it's nice to see Moritz Bleibtreu in a french film.so basically don't expect too much from this movie and (maybe) you'll be pleasantly surprised.