The Whistlers

Directed by Corneliu Porumboiu, The Whistlers details the criminal exploits of several disparate figures and follows their ongoing efforts at recovering a huge cache of money. It’s a fairly standard setup that’s employed to exceedingly erratic effective by Porumboiu, as The Whistlers unfolds at an often stiflingly deliberate pace that generally prevents the viewer from connecting to the material – with this vibe compounded by a convoluted midsection that’s impossible to comfortably follow. (And it doesn’t help, either, that the whole thing is played in a frustratingly deadpan fashion by the various actors.) The very sporadic inclusion of compelling sequences, coupled with an admittedly memorable finale, ensures that The Whistlers is ultimately, at the very least, watchable, although there’s just never a point at which the whole thing becomes as captivating as Porumboiu has surely intended.

**1/2 out of ****