Linbeymusol Wonderful character development!

ThrillMessage There are better movies of two hours length. I loved the actress'performance.

Erica Derrick By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Caryl It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties. It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

Reno Rangan Who doesn't like treasure hunt films. They are always exciting with surprises. See this film poster, and the title is just perfect. That's what I expected, like if not another 'Indiana Jones', then 'National Treasure'. I was disappointed with that perspective. But realised it was unique with the most realistic approach. I've seen plenty of same themed films, but this one stood out to be one of the rare kind. This film is not fun as the others, but surely makes sense of what real treasure hunt means. Though the film did not take the complicated route to narrate the tale. Just a simple, small film.A man from a little middle-class family living in an apartment is approached by his neighbour guy who financially broke. All he wanted was some cash, so that he could go and look for treasure that his dying grandfather told him about. Now these two join hands for the unusual quest. They had to make all the pre-arrangement before jumping into it. Like hiring a metal detector and making it a weekend event for not clashing with their routines. So finally the most expected venture begins and how it all turns out are told with some fun filled tense climax.This is a very slow film. Particularly those treasure hunt sequences became even slower than what one would expect out of it. Probably a film for matured audience. It is considered as a black comedy and yes, that's how everything unfolded. Though not all black comedies are same. I mean not everybody understands clearly why it is called that.In my instance, I expected something else, but got another thing. In the end, I really enjoyed it. The initial story was unbelievable. I mean, if somebody approached me with a theory like that, not just me, most of the people won't easily want to be a part of it. Not because it is illegal, but does not make sense or gives enough reason to take part. It has to be convinced thoroughly.❝We've all got problems. You've got problems. I've got problems. A man makes his own problems. They don't descend from heaven.❞The little Robin Hood story at the opening was relevant to how the film has ended. That character called Costi was an ideal man for a typical world. His belief to be a good person in the society, definitely gives the right message. But I did not think he would go for such a quest. That's the first twist. Then following that, seeing his desperate to succeed, more than the man who took him in, it kind of made fun, like of course black comedy. Especially during the hunt, the verbal fight between two out of three set a perfect tone for the rest of the tale.Definitely not a predictable storyline. That's what kept my eyes open, despite frequent drops in the pace of the narration. I liked the dialogues, especially about the some of the technical terms. Like about metal detector, and the brief history about the Romanian communist era, including the Dos and Don'ts, what the law says about the treasures that has found. It was not like you take all the needed tools and the adventure begins. It excellently highlighted that the treasure hunt is not like one you have seen in the films.Finally, regarding the treasure, it comes in many forms. How this film sorted out that part was really cool. That's indeed a well written screenplay. It's not impossible to see such a film in Hollywood, but they won't make money, that's the difference. That is the reason why small film industries around the world shines with such little gems. This is the reason I want to explore the world cinema.When it comes to the development, in some of the parts, the film was not that logical. That's how it has to go, so it became what it is. As I said the end was really cool. I meant the post quest end. It had ended bringing a little smile on my face. Nice performances. The writer, director is the first to be appreciated. I haven't seen many Romanian films, but from those I've seen never disappointed, and so this one, a very satisfying film. My little advise is for those who wants to see it is expect it to be a drama than an action-adventure- thriller. Patience is another thing it required. Probably you would like it after watched it than while watching. But overall a worthy film.7.5/10

Radu Lucian Just saw this on HBO. Not feeling like either wanting my money back or wanting my time back. The movie was OK. OK in the exact sense depicted in the plot. Nothing less, but nothing more. I am trying to watch all Romanian movies, and the good news is the level of acting is improving dramatically (pseudo-pun intended) and this movie excels in that area. All the cast is performing well, the lines are good and appropriate for the moment, I would have preferred to not be able to guess each and every line that was about to be said, but that means that it was all natural and just right. Not often you see a movie were the next action and the next line simply makes sense. Nothing unexpected, but it has a magic of its own like that. In most movies you anticipate what you would have said (the logical line) or what you would have done in a certain context, and it never happens like that, and you think "man, this was stupid". Not in this movie. Here everything makes sense and is exactly as expected.Why a 6 then? For the exact reason above. No surprises. And because it's classified as comedy, and I don't even recall the slightest smile on my face for the whole duration of the film. The only surprise in the movie was there was no surprise whatsoever. The ending has a small twist, but far-far from what could've compensated for the rest. A movie that's worth seeing, but only for the experience, not for its intrinsic value.

GManfred Hard to tell what to make of "The Treasure". It was worthwhile and it was mildly entertaining. It was about just what the synopsis describes; two guys hire another guy who owns a metal detector to try to find 'treasure' they think is on the grounds of the estate of the great-grandfather of one of them. Turns out it was deeper than they thought, which adds digging time and running time to the picture.Eventually, they find it, but it's not treasure in the normal sense; it is a box of old stock certificates for Mercedes-Benz, which are now worth a fortune. There is a sweet moment at the end, as one of the men has a young son who was excited by the thought of treasure. Instead of showing him a stack of paper stocks, he cashes his half and buys some jewelry to fill the box, and gives it to the boy, who is overwhelmed at the sight. Of course, the jewelry is worth only a fraction of what the man has grossed for the stocks. Well, there you have it. I would say it's interesting, although not really a comedy, as it is billed. If it is, I would say the Romanian sense of humor is extremely subtle. Maybe a human interest story, as it holds the interest and is mercifully short at 89 minutes. There are no emotional highs or lows and no tension or suspense; for lack of a better term, it is a very calm picture. The cast were all very competent, no complaint there. It could have a little added excitement of some sort, but if you are thinking of seeing it you could do a lot worse nowadays. Speaking for myself, I liked it because it was simple and straightforward and held my interest. If you go, stay for the credits and you can hear one of the strangest songs ever, by one of the strangest voices; it's called "Life Is Life". Very peculiar.

HeathCliff-2 I spent $7 to rent this on Amazon, based on flamboyant critical praise. The trailer looked promising, like a deadpan comedy. But it wasn't anything like I expected. It couldn't have been slower, duller, plodding. I appreciate the low-key naturalistic style that is European cinema, but in this case, it wasn't shedding much light on any internal journey. And being halted as a comedy? I often marvel when reviewers claim something is a comedy. Why? Because there may be slight nuances of humannature's foibles? There was not a moment that I was amused in a heightened comedicway. The basic plot line - that a neighbor enlists another neighborwith a possible buried treasure - takes near 90 minutes for negligible plot development. I like slow, non-Hollywood movies, but this was really SLOW. And reviewers hailed the transformative payoff in the last two minutes. But for me it was too little, too late. Not recommended. Just plodding.