Justin Chang

It's a thriller steeped in techno-paranoia. To get to the bottom of the vandalism, Karsh enlists the help of Terry's ex-husband, a computer whiz played by an unnervingly twitchy Guy Pearce. Karsh also relies on an AI personal assistant, voiced by, you guessed it, Kruger again, who doesn't seem entirely trustworthy.

There are whispers that the vandals are aligned with shadowy Russian and or Chinese forces, hinting at a mass data theft conspiracy that may or may not exist. The Shrouds never fully coheres as a mystery. In the end, it's an intriguing but not especially satisfying puzzle. I didn't mind that about it. Cronenberg isn't out to provide easy answers.

There are whispers that the vandals are aligned with shadowy Russian and or Chinese forces, hinting at a mass data theft conspiracy that may or may not exist. The Shrouds never fully coheres as a mystery. In the end, it's an intriguing but not especially satisfying puzzle. I didn't mind that about it. Cronenberg isn't out to provide easy answers.

There are whispers that the vandals are aligned with shadowy Russian and or Chinese forces, hinting at a mass data theft conspiracy that may or may not exist. The Shrouds never fully coheres as a mystery. In the end, it's an intriguing but not especially satisfying puzzle. I didn't mind that about it. Cronenberg isn't out to provide easy answers.

He's saying that we live in such a 24-7 internet fog now, who knows what could be out there, mining the most human and vulnerable parts of ourselves, our habits, our yearnings, our relationships. This isn't a new theme for Cronenberg. He's always been fascinated by the way technology alters our minds and even our bodies.

He's saying that we live in such a 24-7 internet fog now, who knows what could be out there, mining the most human and vulnerable parts of ourselves, our habits, our yearnings, our relationships. This isn't a new theme for Cronenberg. He's always been fascinated by the way technology alters our minds and even our bodies.

He's saying that we live in such a 24-7 internet fog now, who knows what could be out there, mining the most human and vulnerable parts of ourselves, our habits, our yearnings, our relationships. This isn't a new theme for Cronenberg. He's always been fascinated by the way technology alters our minds and even our bodies.

In his 1983 classic Videodrome, the director inserted a Betamax cassette into his protagonist's torso, literalizing the idea of what TV is doing to us. The Shrouds isn't nearly as graphic, but it doesn't have to be. It's set in a world where most of us have all but fused with our phones already. All of which is to say that this seemingly death-obsessed movie...

In his 1983 classic Videodrome, the director inserted a Betamax cassette into his protagonist's torso, literalizing the idea of what TV is doing to us. The Shrouds isn't nearly as graphic, but it doesn't have to be. It's set in a world where most of us have all but fused with our phones already. All of which is to say that this seemingly death-obsessed movie...

In his 1983 classic Videodrome, the director inserted a Betamax cassette into his protagonist's torso, literalizing the idea of what TV is doing to us. The Shrouds isn't nearly as graphic, but it doesn't have to be. It's set in a world where most of us have all but fused with our phones already. All of which is to say that this seemingly death-obsessed movie...

about grief and desire and the unsettling power of technology to assuage them, is also a movie about life and the way more than a few of us live now.

about grief and desire and the unsettling power of technology to assuage them, is also a movie about life and the way more than a few of us live now.

about grief and desire and the unsettling power of technology to assuage them, is also a movie about life and the way more than a few of us live now.

It's been 10 years since Barry Levinson directed a new feature. And if that seems like a long wait, I should note that it's taken 50 years for The Alto Knights, his new movie, to make it to the big screen. The idea was first pitched in the 1970s, not long after the New York City crime lord Frank Costello, known as the Prime Minister of the Underworld, died at the age of 82.

It's been 10 years since Barry Levinson directed a new feature. And if that seems like a long wait, I should note that it's taken 50 years for The Alto Knights, his new movie, to make it to the big screen. The idea was first pitched in the 1970s, not long after the New York City crime lord Frank Costello, known as the Prime Minister of the Underworld, died at the age of 82.

It's been 10 years since Barry Levinson directed a new feature. And if that seems like a long wait, I should note that it's taken 50 years for The Alto Knights, his new movie, to make it to the big screen. The idea was first pitched in the 1970s, not long after the New York City crime lord Frank Costello, known as the Prime Minister of the Underworld, died at the age of 82.

But the film languished in development hell for decades, and only got the green light a few years ago, presumably on the strength of a major casting gimmick. Both Costello and his notorious friend-turned-rival Vito Genovese are played by the same actor, Robert De Niro. That's one way to liven up the formula, I suppose.

But the film languished in development hell for decades, and only got the green light a few years ago, presumably on the strength of a major casting gimmick. Both Costello and his notorious friend-turned-rival Vito Genovese are played by the same actor, Robert De Niro. That's one way to liven up the formula, I suppose.

But the film languished in development hell for decades, and only got the green light a few years ago, presumably on the strength of a major casting gimmick. Both Costello and his notorious friend-turned-rival Vito Genovese are played by the same actor, Robert De Niro. That's one way to liven up the formula, I suppose.

De Niro has played many mobsters in The Godfather Part II, The Untouchables, Goodfellas, and The Irishman, for starters. He's riffing on a lot of those characters in The Alto Knights, which often plays like a hectic rehash of mob drama clichés. It's not entirely the movie's fault. The real-life events it's tackling here are why some of those clichés exist.