Powerful

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

In New York, the French director of the World Bank Mr. Devereaux (Gérard Depardieu) is a pervert and womanizer, partying and participating in gang bangs with women. When he tries to rape the hotel housekeeper in his room, the woman reports to the police. Devereaux is arrested, affecting also the life of his wife Simone (Jacqueline Bisset)."Welcome to New York", by Abel Ferrara, is a long, uneven and inconclusive film based on the New York v. Strauss-Kahn case. The story shows the lead character Devereaux as an egocentric, pervert and sick womanizer through excessive sex scenes and his relationship with his daughter and wife. When he is released in house arrest, the screenplay is developed at a very slow pace and is boring. However the lack of conclusion is terrible. My vote is seven.Title (Brazil): "Bem-Vindo a Nova York" ("Welcome to New York")

I have never been disappointed with an Abel Ferrara film yet never seem in a rush to see a new one. I guess the ferocity of emotions he tends to whip up are both exciting and disturbing. This particular film, depicting the events surrounding Dominique Strauss- Kahn's attack upon a maid in his New York hotel was so dismissed by the critics at the time of its release, I delayed my viewing. No need to have had any doubts though, this is a sensationally good film. Gerard Depardieu was a fantastic choice to play the lead for despite all the horrors and abuse of power, there is something about the actor and his reputation that presumably, like DSK in real life, prevents the viewer from totally dismissing the guy as an animal. A couple of devastating, direct to camera stares underline this, 'Who are you to judge me?' attitude. Jacqueline Bisset is also very effective as his then wife and there is a very powerful scene when she is showing him round the flat she has found for him and tries to resist his clumsy advances. The dialogue is brilliant throughout and totally believable and it seemed to me that i may never have heard such convincing lines from non white actors, particularly in the courtroom, police and prison scenes. The whole sequence following the removal from the plane and his incarceration and strip search are spine tinglingly believable. I must also mention that before we launch into the main story Ferrara presents us with the DSK view of the world with 'ladies' sweeping into a briefing session to fold themselves over his lap and offer a blow job. And then an orgy scene in New York shot really tight with just parts of bodies visible and cocaine laced whipped cream much to the fore. A highly erotic scene to set us up for the main body of the film leaving us in no doubt all the while that a certain part of the man's (any man's?) anatomy is directing his actions.

"Welcome to New York" is based on a real-life "scandal" that involved the french diplomat Dominique Strauss-Kahn who was a member of french Socialist Party and also the Managing Director of IMF (Int. Monetary Fund) from 2007-2011 until he resigned due to allegation that he had sexually abused a hotel maid. Ferrara's "Welcome to N.Y." hands this affair in a masterful way, that you would find it hard to remove your eyes from the screen even for a second. This is not something Ferrara has done in the past - elaborate a certain real life event to the last detail. And for Ferrara this is just the right kind of stuff, cause he has been provocative for all of his carrier and he knows how to handle this kind of material.On the other hand, Dapardieu gives one of the best performances of his carrier. He's so convincing as Deveraux that one can say he's the real man (DSK). The script doesn't exaggerate, - written by Ferrara and Zois (who worked previously with Ferrara in "New Rose Hotel"),- it handles the story plain and proper for Ferrara to do his thing behind the camera. The best part of the movie is when he (Devereaux) boards the plane and then is asked to step out and the whole police procedure begins. Depardieu feels very comfortable during this complex scenes as does Ferrara, who doesn't hesitate even for a second to show us what the real man experienced. Ferrara goes as far as to treat yet another situation that Strauss Kahn found him self in. Ferrara's Devereaux after the N.Y. arrest tries to rape a journalist, in real life this allegation happened to Strauss-Kahn who was accused for such an act and is scheduled to appear in court for trial in 2015. Bisset plays Devereaux's wife and fulfills the other part of the story...Now i'll try and give you some reason why you should watch it or stay away from it: If you are familiar with the real life story of DSK then give it a shot, you wont be disappointed... If you are not an Abel Ferrara fan then skip it (it will be your loss)... If you want to see Depardieu on one of his best roles he has ever done then watch it, the man was the perfect choice for this role.Hope this helped.

A fascinating and uncompromising insight into the life of a man. Ferrara signs here one of its best ever movie and Depardieu reveals once again the full extent of his talent.The fall of the mighty sick of his sexual impulses (the film spares neither sex scenes priced nor the brutal attempts to put a woman in bed). The case itself and its judicial suites are underdeveloped. Abel Ferrara is particularly interested in conversations between the Devereaux couple (Depardieu and Jacqueline Bisset) in the famous New York apartment where he was under house arrest, the ones everyone has imagined but never heard.A great movie.