It’s hard to believe this really needed to run for three and a half hours. But putting that aside, there's a remarkable performance from Adrien Brody as Tóth, a made-up Hungarian architect who has lived through some terrible wartime events in Europe before arriving in New York. He has family waiting for him, which leads to an encounter with Guy Pearce’s wealthy Van Buren, who decides he wants Tóth to design a public building—something like Hearst Castle but without any particular style or form. In fact, the title itself could apply to his bleak and angular artistic vision, though his new patron is willing to invest £850,000 in the project, so naturally he’s pleased. This doesn't sit well with Harry (played by How Alwyn), whose role seems to be that of an interfering instigator as he constantly tries to create conflict between the architect and his father. Van Buren senior also arranges for Tóth’s reunion with his wife (Felicity Jones) and her niece (Raffey Cassidy), but even that doesn't go smoothly, adding to the mounting unhappiness of a Tóth who now feels like he’s walking on eggshells in every situation as he attempts to construct this unappealing building. A key element is intended to be an altar stone, for which he and his boss travel to Carrara—a location rarely seen on film since Charlton Heston looked up at the Sistine Chapel ceiling among the clouds. Something unexpected happens there that ultimately alters their relationship and the course of the movie itself. It was during those final twenty minutes that I felt it started to unravel. The story seems largely focused on Tóth and his family as outsiders, treated as a means to an end, little more than commodities to be exploited by one of the Van Buren men. However, the drunken violence at the conclusion feels overly designed to shock for its own sake. I didn’t understand the point of it, nor the ending that followed. It's also noteworthy that there’s considerable discussion surrounding the VistaVision aspect—the same technique used decades ago to film actors like Humphrey Bogart and John Wayne—now presented as if it were a groundbreaking discovery. While it might enhance the visuals, it doesn't improve the story, which begins to lose momentum before the unnecessary intermission. The first part provides an engaging look at obsession and the unpleasantness of patronage and hypocrisy. The second isn’t nearly as strong; it feels more like a soap opera and is considerably less substantial. There’s a lot happening, but none of the storylines receive the attention they need to become truly interesting or to be woven together effectively. Brady Corbet has an impressive imagination, but perhaps this project would have benefited from a more objective and careful guiding hand. It's decent, though not as exceptional as people are making it out to be. Seeing it on a large screen is essential; it would look disappointingly flat on television.

Source on TMDB