I saw it yesterday at a late evening screening in Los Angeles with Wenders in-attendance, and he did an intro and stayed for a Q&A afterward (which ended at 1:30am!)

I'd describe Palermo Shooting as an interesting failure, though with some good stuff in it. And not as a worst-ever film, or even as awful like some folks. Also interesting to me was how the naturalistic Wenders of "Paris, Texas" days has embraced modern CGI effects.

Dennis Hopper, in his last role, was very good in a small but important supporting part in the very last scene of the film (don't walk out early or quit watching, cause you'd miss Hopper).

It's kind of a 3 act play defining by its locations: Act 1. Dusseldorf, Act 2. Palermo, Act 3. Gangi.

Not one of Wenders good ones. But if it had some editing-out of some of the more pretentious musing stuff, and general tightening-up, and a bit of clarification here and there, it could've been pretty good. Too bad...

For a long and detailed plot summary, see the German Wikipedia page (worthwhile to do even putting up with Google Chrome's German-to-English translation.) It helped clarify a lot for me. de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palermo_Shooting (Note: the English Wikipedia page was very minimal).

I just saw the movie in International Film Festival of Durrës, eager as I was for another Wim Wenders experience. And I left the theater with mixed feelings. Images were so good, bur the story was so cheap. The apology of Death at the end of the movie was awful, as if written by a 15 years scholar. So was the dialogue with the shepherd. Cheap and cliché ideas about death and life. The presence in the story of G. Mezzogiorno was senseless and not justified at all. The story of a photographer that takes a shoot of Death, is not bad, whatsoever. But it surely didn't to be treated as in child books, with death coming towards you and moralizing about life and death. And above all, the pregnant Milla, pretending deeper art in VIP Photo shooting, gave a sense of pity. No worth seeing it twice.

Finn, the successful photographer, is an artist of this medium. As the story begins, he is involved with several important projects. One that is close to his heart, is a shoot with a pregnant Milla Jovovich. As far as the work goes, he is not satisfied, and neither is the actress. He suggests a change of locales. While examining some portfolio, he decides to finish the work in Palermo, Sicily.

Just before leaving, Finn has an unnerving experience. One night driving his convertible, listening to a loud soundtrack, he almost collides with another car driven by a mysterious figure, he does not quite get to see. Finn seems to be a man searching for more than what he now possesses. In spite of his fame he is not a fulfilled man. One day, Finn, who has climbed a tree that overlooks a placid meadow near the Rhine, meets another mysterious man dressed in a plastic raincoat who is tending to a flock of sheep.

After the shoot with Milla Jovovich is over, Finn decides to stay in Palermom for a while. The end result of his work is excellent, although for the finished product showing a nude Milla, he could have done it in his home base in Germany. The city has an intriguing allure to Finn. While admiring the area of the Quattro Canti, he falls asleep by the side of one of the buildings he has been admiring. He is awakened by the mysterious hooded figure who is wielding a bow and arrow aiming at him. He feels wounded, but there is no sign of having been hit at all.

Walking through the old streets of Palermo taking pictures with his camera, Finn discovers a museum. The door is open and he takes a chance going in. The only people in the place are two women that are restoring a giant painting from an obscure Sicilian artist. Flavia, who comes down to talk to Finn, tells him about the picture. In the center there is an animal-like figure that represents death. He is surprised to see a couple of clerics that appear to be dead stabbed by arrows.

Through his walks in the city, Finn comes face to face with death symbols that, in a way, give him an uneasy feeling. Flavia shows a reluctance to getting involved with Finn, but he wants to continue seeing her. She takes him to the port giving him a chance to see the magnificent views of Palermo. Finn takes picture with his prized camera. While photographing an interesting angle, he discovers a figure aiming at him. Trying to avoid the arrow, Finn breaks the camera and falls in the water.

As a surprise, Flavia decides to take Finn to her late grandmother's home in a hill town. The old house has a mystery about it that plays into the surreal antique setting. One night, Finn is awakened by a noise. He steps into the old library where he is chased by a man bathed in a white light that makes him appear as a ghost. Finn comes face to face with the man, who proclaims he is death. The ghost-like figure points out to Finn's brush with death. It all makes sense to him. Figuring he is about to die, he has yet, another surprise coming to him.

Wim Wender's "Palermo Shooting" was shown recently on a cable channel. The film does not seem to have been commercially released in the United States, but seen in festivals. It is a shame because although the director is not aiming for a broad audience, it pays off for serious fans of his work. Mr. Wenders work in this film is almost a continuation of some of his past work, more to the point, "Wings of Desire". The film is dedicated to two influential masters in Mr. Wender's life, Michelangelo Antonioni and Igmar Bergman. One can see how "Blowup" might have impressed him.

Campino, appearing as Finn, does an amazing job for the director. Dennis Hopper gets reunited with Mr. Wenders in a small, but pivotal role. The gorgeous Giovanna Mezzogiorno is perfect as Flavia. There are some familiar faces in the film doing cameos for the director, notably, Lou Reed and Milla Jovovich.

The film owes a lot to the editing of two men, Oli Weiss and Peter Przygodda. The cinematography by Franz Lustig captures images that add the aura of mystery and suspense. The musical score by Irmin Schmidt blends well with the popular songs being played. Although most people thought this film to be flawed and pretentious, it will be enjoyed by fans of Wim Wenders.