Anticipation was high for 360 entering into last year's festival circuit. For good reason, as the romantic thriller sports a number of components that would seemingly mark it an immediate Oscar contender. Fernando Meirelles(City of God, The Constant Gardener) was directing, based on a script by Peter Morgan(The Queen). That alone would be enough, but it also includes Jude Law, Ben Foster, Rachel Weisz, and Anthony Hopkins as part of the cast. Big names both in front and behind the camera.
Yet the reception to the film was lukewarm at best, flat out at bad at worst. The performances didn't appear to be the issue. The criticism was mostly lodged against the script, and the unwillingness merge the many stories involved into a cohesive narrative. That said, it's hard to ignore the amount of talent at work here, not to mention novel premise. The story centers on the sexual encounters of a number of different couples, and how they are all influenced by one man's decision to remain faithful to his wife.
The newly released trailer is definitely sexy, and carries a similar style to 2004's Closer, which Law was also a part of. It looks to be dealing with many of the same issues of temptation, desperation, and loyalty that Closer dealt with. To me, it looks fantastic, but we'll have to wait until 360 arrives on August 2nd to find out for sure....
