Great Film overall

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

I wanted to love The Tenant. I truly did. It's one of those films you hear about whenever classic horror films are being discussed. But I feel like I watched a different movie than everyone else.The first half of the movie is very slow and somewhat boring, which would be worth it if the second half paid off. At first, it seems like it will. When the movie hit the halfway point it started getting exciting. It was like, "Yes! This is what I've been waiting for!" I mean, you have teeth in the wall, a head being tossed around like a football, creepy tenants standing completely motionless in the window across from Trelkovsky's apartment. Trelkovsky begins acting strange and unlike himself. Polanski' acting became better (although I feel someone else could've been a better fit for the role). And then I don't know what happened. The rest of the ending fizzles out and you're left with a detachment from the character's situation. Suddenly it all becomes so absurd. I can appreciate the paranoia of our MC, even if it's all in his head, but in my opinion it was executed so poorly. The sound editing was not very good either. At times sound effects were so ear-piercing I had to lower the volume, yet other times the voices were so low or spoken strangely that I had to turn on subtitles just to know what was being said. The dubbing is so distracting in this movie. Just like in Suspiria, the dubbing is awful and it creates a disconnect from the story. Suddenly you're pulled back to reality; these are just actors, badly delivering their lines while another voice is not matching AT ALL. I will never understand this style of filmmaking. It comes across as lazy.I went into this movie thinking it was a psychological horror film, but On IMDb it is tagged as a black comedy. Was this a black comedy when it was released? Or do people think it's a black comedy because of how poorly it's done? Who knows.I honestly believe that if this had been a film by anyone other than Polanski it would not be considered such a masterpiece. I think this is one of his worst films.

Now I don't know where to begin on this movie. All the reviews were exceptional, except Roger Ebert's. When I started watching this movie, I was literally entranced. Nothing could take my eyes off the screen, and I wanted to know what would happen to our main character, what this particular portion of his life would tell me. What portion of his life are we given the chance to see, and what morals and understanding of the human condition will I gain. The Tenant is a great movie. The ending caught me by surprise, and I was a little disappointed. But I would definitely recommend this picture of for a late night viewing.8 STARS!! Though it probably deserves more.

How can it be that something so distant can feel so close. This is one of those films that makes me wish I had made it. Crazy I know, but the feeling is real. It's like saying, "oh no, I wanted to tell that story myself" It rarely happens to me but it happened before, I had that feeling with "Purple Noon" and "Apartment Zero" - What's wrong with me, right? - All films of lyrical darkness. "The Tenant" is terrifying and you don't want it to stop. All those Oscar winners, Melvyn Douglas, Jo Van Fleet, Lila Kedrova and Shelley Winters for goodness sake - permeating the horrible attraction to the building - yes just like in Apartment Zero. Roman Polanski not only directs but also plays the title character, to perfection, I hasten to ad. Like most works of art, it's not for everybody, I know some people I admire who, hate, hate! The Tenant. I get it but I'm sorry because I know they are missing something, I don't know what, but something.

I agree with Roger Ebert's comment totally on Roman Polanski's "The Tenant"/ "Le locataire" (1976) on re-viewing it a second time after a gap of 30 plus years: "It is not merely bad, it is an embarrassment."The film was predictable from the start. All the actors were good but wasted, especially Isabelle Adjani--with one memorable exception Rufus. His body language was a delight to observe closely. The Egyptological motifs on the restroom wall were a hoot. even if some users might have stared at it once or twice. And imagineafter falling off 5 floors in a botched suicide attempt, bleeding and hurt, clambering up 5 flights of stairs within minutes to repeat the feat!!