Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

This film receives such good reviews now because it is the movie-going, pseudo-intellectual clique that rates and comments it. This film gets all its power from status and fame: written originally by Kafka, directed and interpreted by Orson Welles, starring every oddball's beloved (and admittedly great actor) Anthony Perkins. If this doesn't smell like pseudo-intellectual cinematic elitism, nothing ever will.This film, as all which lack any heart or girth at the core, focuses on acting (Perkins fantastic, rest very good too), strong cinematography, and atmosphere. And yet, not everything that glitters is gold. This is a case of shape rather than depth, form over content, exterior vs inside, artifice better than true quality. This here is the narrative of the film rather than the film itself: a film should have a great point and a great conclusion, but should also have...well, a great film ! This here is just plain boring because once one has appreciated the eerie atmosphere of empty, humanless landscapes, the absurd in the works, the strange characters etc... there isn't anything left to digest but lengthy, lengthy intervals of futile dialog, never an ounce of symbolism or worthwhile depth, just a ton of the self-indulgent, steady-paced same old exchanges. The so-called tension is never really there, and the tagline "the logic of a nightmare" just never incarnates in the film. The introductory little cartoon sets the tone for a masterpiece with a wealth of symbolism and deep literary purpose, and the first 40 minutes are very good and intriguing; but how quickly the film loses itself in a weak effort to further its plot and in stead dwells in a little puddle of self-absorbed irrelevance only ultra-specific fans could find to their liking. There's no universal appeal whatsoever - this film is like a severe case of the 'fish in a bowl', never lifting its head up for awareness; just totally absorbed into its technical little project, and even in its absurdity certainly could've used some clarity. The point, the narrative of the film are good; not the film.

An unassuming office worker (Anthony Perkins) is arrested and stands trial, but he is never made aware of his charges.Orson Welles is generally considered one of the greats of the film world. And his commanding voice is hard to argue with! Combine with that one of the greatest books in classic literature, Kafka's "Trial", and you have a match made in heaven. We also get Anthony Perkins in possibly his finest performance, though he will always be known as Norman Bates.Someone wrote that what makes this adaptation great is that Welles treated the material as if he wrote it himself. He internalized it and then brought it back out in film form. If that is true, I do not know, but it makes sense... because this is a novel which is not easily turned to linear storytelling.

This film has a surrealistic language, a transcendentalist style, Wells' iconoplasticism, Kafka's philosophical anthropology, poetic imaging, and existentialist reflection.It is historically, culturally, politically and philosophically relevant.It is also relevant for cinematography studies (for its brilliant use of different lenses, lighting and composition of the shots), for actor directing studies (for the non naturalistic performances that make the film consistent) and film directing studies (for the non transparency of the style, representation and meaning).It should be in the top of the IMDb list so that everyone could know that they should absolutely see it as soon as possible.It is a remarkable achievement in film

The logic of this film is the logic of a dream.It's surreal, complicated and does give very less breathing space to contemplate what has happened. Made by a film aficionado for film aficionados, this is a highly intellectual interpretation of what Franz Kafka wrote. There are reasons why only Orson Welles could attempt this, without any compromise. Also, only why he could understand it and interpret it the way he did. Orson Welles perhaps, has many similarities with Kafka. From being eccentric and extremely passionate about his art to having a similar surreal psyche that is left for the interpretation of the audience than being spoon-fed. From the cast to the settings, to the humongous number of extras used, this film has a grandeur which can also be stated as grandeur of delusions. A door opens another one and we do not know if all that was happening was real or a mere illusion. Such is the script that it never made me wake up from the times I watched it. I watched it thrice and will watch it many times more. There is so much happening and so much has been said that it took me time to even get a grasp of it. I must admit I read the book only after watching this film. I watched it thrice till date. The first time, it shook me. Second time, it gave me some insights. Third time, I was awestruck as I got to understand a few details deeply. Perhaps, this is still not right for me to review this film coz there are many more things that I ought to know in the process of understanding this film. Kafka is probably one of the most complicated writers of 19th century. While other writers used lot of verbiage to elucidate the details, Kafka used less words and said so much more. The translators of Kafka's works should be hugely applauded for they would have gone through a lot of pain in getting us the right meaning and in the appropriate context. Getting back to the film, this has great set pieces and Orson Welles proves yet again that why is grandeur a must to show a film in a certain way. It adds intrigue, mystique and a certain sense of being there. The scene where K escapes from the the painter and the way it has been shot, is just magnificent. Welles knows how to use camera, art design, and the setup the sets with the shots in mind meticulously.Hey, is this a movie review? I really doubt coz after reading, I felt like I reviewed Kafka and Orson Welles more than the movie "The Trial" itself. Nevertheless, I can simply say it is one of the most profound surreal films that will be ever made.A 5/5 for one of the finest films by a master director.http://braddugg.blogspot.in/search/label/Movie%20Review