Wallandar (2008)

Things are tough in Sweden….

The DVD Wallander features Kenneth Branagh as the middle-aged beleaguered detective Kurt Wallander. This release is a 2-DVD set–with two films on the first disc and a third film–One Step Behind on the second disc. The first DVD features episodes Sidetracked and Firewall and these tales are based on the novels by Swedish author Henning Mankell. This DVD had been in my netflix queue along with the long wait notice since its release in June 2009, and when it finally arrived, I was very interested to see it. So Netflix finally sent disc one, and I watched it. I should mention that I’d read my first Henning Mankell crime novel earlier this year–didn’t love it, but then the first novel in the series is often the weakest, but since Branagh is such a good actor, I really wanted to see this DVD.

Any detective series (novel or film) has the delicate task of producing interesting crime stories that feature a regular character we care about. So there’s a balancing act between the crime at hand and the details of the detective’s life and character. I should add here that it’s not necessary to like the character in order to find him or her interesting. In fact, the more flaws the better (take Detective Inspector Rebus from the novels of Ian Rankin, for example). These series characters become acquaintances in a way–we want to see what they are up to in the next episode, and the theory is, of course, that if we are so interested in the character, we will come back to read the next book, or in this case, watch the next DVD.

So will I return to Wallander?

Doubtful….

The first episode, Sidetracked, begins with a startling, attention-grabbing act of self-destruction which leaves detective Kurt Wallander (Kenneth Branagh) feeling both responsible and helpless at the same time. But the attention grabbing beginning dwindles down into a sordid tale of corrupt kinky powerful men and a slew of horrific, ritualized murders. Yawn. It’s been done 100s of times before.

In the second episode, Firewall, Wallander investigates the seemingly senseless brutal stabbing of a taxi driver by a disaffected teen, and soon bodies  are popping up everywhere and he’s involved in a fanciful tale of cybernet terrorism.

The second episode showed a lot more energy as the story tweaks details of Wallandar’s pathetic personal life. The poor sod is separated from a wife he thinks he still loves, his bitchy, bratty daughter demands attention, and his father–already irritable and difficult to please–is sliding into Alzheimers.

At first, Wallander comes off as depressed, depressive and exhausted. He doesn’t even have the energy to shave apparently, and after seeing him wake up in chair, I was beginning to wonder about showers. The one relationship in his life is with his daughter, and it consists of her hounding him about various issues and in Firewall she pesters him to start dating. Wallander’s personal life doesn’t sucks as much as it’s non-existent. Branagh as Wallander seems to find even the smallest tasks associated with living to be too much to bear. And all things considered, I found him a bit depressing to be around….

The film may please fans of Branagh and the cinematography is gorgeous, but for me, and I may be in the minority here, I’m not exactly eager to see what happens to Wallandar in succeeding episodes.

Blood and Wine (1996)

 

“The interesting thing about rich people is that they’re so cheap.”

There are some films that burn images on our brains, and Blood and Wine from director Bob Rafelson is one of those films. There’s a scene in the film when wine merchant Alex Gates (Jack Nicholson)–who’s really a pathetic loser–is whooping it up in a swanky motel with Cuban mistress, Gabriela (Jennifer Lopez). To Gabriela, who works as a maid for a revolting rich family, Alex is a great catch; he’s a business owner, has a nice home and drives a red convertible. So what if he’s married? Alex is so broke his wife Suzanne (Judy Davis) can’t even write a cheque at the supermarket. But in this scene, Alex orders room service–complete with champagne while Gabriela stalks around in red heels and black lace lingerie. This scene is perfect. Alex and Gabriela leave reality behind and indulge themselves for a few hours, pretending that this fabricated experience is ‘real.’

Blood and Wine is a sadly underrated crime film, and it’s the tale of how a middle-aged man, pressured by debts and yoked to a wife, a mortgage, and bills dreams up the sort of once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to escape his hum drum existence and run off into the sunset with his mistress.

When the film begins, the heist is already planned with the major players in place. The stinking rich Reese family are leaving their ostentatious mansion (an uncomfortable cross between a swap meet and a museum) and sailing off on their yacht leaving their Cuban maid to housesit. The plan is that Gabriela will let Alex and his partner Vic (Michael Caine) into the house so they can lift Mrs. Reese’s diamond necklace from the safe. Things go wrong with the theft  immediately, but when Alex’s home life interferes with his criminal plans, events take an explosive turn.

Blood and Wine works so well because of its strong characterizations. The heist is just a heist, but it’s the people who try to pull off the crime and the people who get mixed up in the fallout that make the film so interesting.

First there’s Alex’s marriage: when Suzanne first appears on the scene, she’s using a cane for a broken ankle. Alex and Suzanne are at each other’s throats in less than a minute, and when the recriminations begin, it isn’t pretty. Suzanne who doesn’t seem to deserve such a louse for a husband, but then the issue is raised of just how she got that broken ankle, and gradually the ugly history of their turbulent marriage is raised.

Then there’s Suzanne’s son Jason (Stephen Dorff) who’s grown up protective of his mother and who harbors a slowly stewing hatred of his stepdad.

Vic, Michael Caine plays Alex’s partner, and this casting was a great choice. At first Vic appears to be a laid-back bucolic character, but as the film develops, Vic’s true character is revealed: vicious and unpredictable, Vic grows increasingly impatient with the screw-ups and whatever (and whoever) gets in the way of his share of the loot.

As for Gabriela, well she’s a girl who looks out for the best opportunity–whoever that might be.

Anyway, if you haven’t seen Blood and Wine perhaps it’s time to see it: it’s a believable tale of greed and lust.

Finney (1994)

 “The fact that your husband wants to become a christian isn’t in itself a sign of mental illness.”

Finney is a 5-hour, 6-episode made-for-British television film that follows the struggle for power between various crime families in the North of England.

Finney begins with the brutal murder of the violent Finney family Patriarch and godfather of crime, Irish Tucker Finney (Clive Russell), and this brings prodigal son, jazz musician Stephen Finney (David Morrissey) back to Newcastle. Following the murder, the family gathers for the funeral followed by reading of the will. Tucker Finney, who was a cruel, harsh man in life, continues to run his family even after his death. He leaves almost his entire estate to daughter Lena (Melanie Hill), while to Finney, the eldest son, he leaves a run-down abandoned cinema. Youngest daughter Suzie (Angela Lonsdale) inherits one of the family’s legitimate business concerns, a hotel, and the explosively unpredictable youngest son, Tom (Andy Serkis) is cut out of the will.

Stephen Finney, considered to be the only sensible member of the family by the local constabulary, left Newcastle and his wife and two children many years earlier. Since then, he’s pursued a career in jazz, and he’s hardly successful. When he learns of his inheritance, he decides to convert the ramshackle building into a jazz club, and he enlists the support of his ex-wife, Carol (Pooky Quesnel) to help. Gathering friends and jazz players, Finney sees the jazz club as a way to repair his life, so he sets to work on the restoration. But there’s a slight problem; the building is considered squarely in the territory of rival gang, the Simpson family, headed by Bobo (John Woodvine) and Bobo Jr. (Christopher Fairbank).

While the first episode set the scene for the rest of the drama, and was therefore a bit slow, Finney becomes increasingly more intense as the episodes unfold. The story follows Lena’s efforts to track down and kill her father’s murderer while establishing herself as her father’s successor. Since the area’s criminals are used to being led by a man, Lena has to establish herself as every bit as brutal and fearsome as her father–not an easy task. Meanwhile Tom spirals out of control, and Stephen Finney, despite his best efforts to remain separate from the taint of crime, becomes involved in the family business through a turf war as loyalties clash with his moral code.

Well acted, and well-plotted, if you are into British crime dramas, then Finney is for you. Nothing too brutal, this is more about character against the backdrop of British crime. Some of the flashbacks are repetitive and drag on a bit, but there’s a marvelous sequence in the ghost train at a local fairground. Solid entertainment for fans of British television. From director David Hayman.

Not For Or Against (2002)

“When you choose a path, you go all the way.”

I’ve enjoyed a couple of films from director Cedric Klapisch–When the Cat’s Away and Un Air de Famille. Klapisch’s saccharine, fluff piece L’Auberge Espagnole, however, was a huge disappointment, so I was happy to find a darker film–even with its faults–in Not For Or Against (Ni Pour, Ni Contraire, Bien au Contraire).

Set mostly in Paris, Not For or Against is ultimately a crime caper film with psychological implications. The film doesn’t explore questions such as why a seemingly respectable, working class girl dives into a life of crime with gusto–although enough hints are dropped along the way to make this film a much better than average crime yarn. The film’s protagonist (and its most fascinating character) is Cathy (Marie Gillian)–a young struggling camerawoman living in Paris when her life abruptly changes one day. But does her life change for the better or for the worse?

Cathy freelances with her camera and one day she’s sent on a job where she meets a beautiful call girl. The hooker asks Cathy if she’d like to make a quick wad of cash, Cathy accepts and find herself meeting Jean (Vincent Elbaz). He takes a brief look at her and then she’s on her way to a life of crime, joining a band of 4 violent men–robbing and beating their way to a fortune.

Cathy has the sort of scrubbed-clean look that belies her behaviour. She’s in complete contrast to the hookers and dancers who parade through the scenes half-dressed. Cathy downplays her body by dressing in practical clothing, and while she certainly has the type of looks she could exploit, she doesn’t. Perhaps this is why Jean underestimates her, and while he’s obviously used to women using clothing (or the lack of it) as part of the sirens’ call, Cathy’s message seems to be decidedly nonsexual as she doesn’t try any of the old tricks to get his attention.

For about the first two-thirds of the film, I was riveted to the screen. Jean describes Cathy as a “vanilla chick” referencing her race but also her seeming blandness. But Cathy is far from bland or ordinary, and her actions in the first crime prove that (and win the admiration of the seasoned hoods).

The gang members have good times and bad times, but the final third of the film devolves into a typical caper, and this is where the film began to lose my interest. Cathy and her relationship with Jean are the two most fascinating aspects of the film, but neither is explored in any depth. Cathy’s relationship with Jean is undefined. That’s what makes it so intriguing–at first there seems to be a sexual energy between the two, but is Jean leading Cathy on? Or is it the other way around? At one point in the film, Jean tries to provoke a jealous reaction in Cathy. Jean seems simultaneously disappointed and disturbed by Cathy’s reaction.

While I think it works to avoid defining the exact dimensions of Jean and Cathy’s relationship, it’s a serious fault in the plot to not explore Cathy’s inner thoughts. There’s a moment in the film when Jean presents Cathy with an alternative and she thinks, “I figured the path marked evil was the better [one],” but after that insight, Cathy’s thoughts remain largely unexplored. What makes her tick remains a frustrating mystery–apart from the odd moments in her Paris apartment and scenes of her in her humble provincial home. To Cathy, crime represents a way out of her boring life, but exactly how much she calculates, playing a role to get what she wants are issues ignored by the plot. The fallout from the crime caper would seem to hint that what happens to Cathy is pure accident, but the last scene belies that.

Ultimately Not For or Against remains a fairly standard caper film with just the slightly unusual element of the bourgeois, seemingly respectable ‘good’ girl going off the rails. By focusing on the elaborate caper rather than the psychological aspects of the plot, and by ignoring insight in Cathy’s psyche, the film loses a chance to rise above its plot and it becomes more ordinary and a lot less interesting.

In French with subtitles.

The Elite Squad (2007)

 

Capitao Nascimento (Wagner Moura)–a veteran of the BPOE (Special Police Operation Battalion) narrates the violently, explosive Brazilian film The Elite Squad (Tropa de Elite). When the film begins, the Captain is under a lot of pressure, and he’s beginning to lose his nerve for the everyday violent confrontations with criminals, drug dealers and crooked police officers. Against the backdrop story of the Pope’s impending visit, Nascimento must find a replacement due to his imminent reassignment to the training of new recruits. There are two candidates for the post: the impulsive Neto (Caio Junqueira) and the studious, serious Matias (Andre Ramiro).

Many Brazilian crime films focus on the seamy criminal life in this poverty-stricken country. The Elite Squad focuses on police corruption, and since the film is based on the memoirs of a former BPOE officer, there’s some amazing information here. Just watch the endless scenes of police corruption, and you will find yourself wondering how this country will ever pull itself out of the mire of poverty and crime. In some scenes, police fight over bribery turf, with several groups of officers strong-arming the same business owners, and in other scenes, police squad cars are stripped by officers who make a lucrative living selling the stolen car parts on the side.

The Elite Squad is a non-linear narrative, and the film begins with new police recruits Neto and Matias in the middle of a horrendous firefight. Then the film goes back to 6 months earlier to explain how these two men found themselves cornered under fire in the middle of a ghetto. This part of the story comprises the first half of the film. The second half of the film depicts Neto and Matias attending BPOE training and Nascimento’s selection of his replacement.

I found the first half of the film with its exploration of social issues riveting. One sub-theme, for example, is how the rich do-gooder kids pride themselves on their open mindedness and superior civic responsibilities etc and yet actively contribute to the drug trade. The second half of the film seems to be fairly standard fare and a glorification of the fascistic BPOE. The BOPE training camp makes GI Jane look like a holiday camp for sissies in comparison. Still if you are interested in Brazilian film and want to see Brazilian police corruption in its glory, then The Elite Squad  is well worth catching. The scenes detailing police corruption, the scams and how they work the system–including the fiddling of the murder statistics were phenomenal. From director Jose Padilla.

Tight Spot (1955)

“Whenever I deal with something dirty, I always get a little soiled.”

Tight Spot AKA Dead Pigeon is a little known but surprisingly good crime film, loaded with excellent performances, strong dialogue, and a very tight script. If you’re a fan of 50s gangster films, then there’s a good chance you may enjoy this one

The film begins with the murder of a snitch–would-be government witness Tonelli is assassinated before he can start singing in the courtroom. With the government case against mobster Benjamin Costain (Lorne Greene) weakening, district attorney Lloyd Hallett (Edward G Robinson) arranges for the transportation of the only remaining possible witness, good-time girl Sherry Conley (Ginger Rogers) from the state prison to a swanky hotel room. Here Hallett hopes to convince Sherry to get up into that witness stand and testify against the brutal Costain. Hallett has two carrots to help entice Sherry to testify: he promises to cut the remaining eleven months of her original 5 year sentence, and he also lectures her about her “debt to society.”

Costain’s trial is due to begin Monday morning, and on Saturday Sherry is transferred without a word of explanation from the prison to the fancy hotel. Her escorts are a prison guard, Willoughby (Katherine Anderson), and a hardened cop Vince Striker (Brian Keith).

The film is based on a play and the film certainly maintains a tense claustrophobic atmosphere with its limited, mainly interior scenes and very controlled situations. Over the course of the weekend, Sherry is pressured to comply with Hallett’s request to testify, but wise-cracking, tough-talking Sherry has learned all about self-preservation. She’s not about to put her life on the line to ‘protect’ a society that’s largely screwed her over, and when it comes to the idea that she owes a debt to society, Sherry doesn’t see it that way at all. Sherry is portrayed by Ginger Rogers as a basically decent person whose Achilles’ Heel just happens to be men. As far as I’m concerned, Ginger Rogers stole the film from her very first scene when she lectures a new prison inmate about how to slack off inside (“See if you can’t think about this joint as a training ground for future life”). This is an important character-setting scene as it establishes that Sherry is no dummy, and she’s not a pushover either. She’s not about to break her back working in the prison to help facilitate a system she despises.

Locked in the hotel room, Sherry begins to build relationships with Willoughby and Striker. While Willoughby treats Sherry with compassion, natural adversaries Sherry and Striker eyeball each other warily. To Striker, Sherry is just a gangster’s dame, and to Sherry, Striker is another no-good cop put on the planet to harass her. As Sherry’s story becomes clear, she earns grudging respect from Striker, and they begin to see each other as three-dimensional human beings. When Sherry’s sister arrives on the scene, even the DA begins to feel sorry for his potential star witness.

One very clever element used in the film is the concurrent television charity marathon, which features a soulful, annoying crooner. Just as the crooner is locked into the weekend’s action, Sherry and her protectors are stuck too. Sherry, however, is fully aware that she’s a sitting duck, and she’s not about to let herself be used in anyone’s game–no matter the bribes she’s offered. Alienated from a society that’s taught her to be wary of any government offers, she’s interested in self-preservation–until caring about other people finally breaks through her brittle veneer. From director Phil Karlson.

Some lines from the film:

“You mean you brought me up here to let me be insulted by some cheap dame even if she is my sister.”

“I don’t suppose it would do any good to ask if my civil rights is being violated.”

“Look sister, I wouldn’t know styles if you shoved ‘em down my throat.”

“Men–they ought to trade themselves in for something a girl really needs.”

“And being a cop, you can’t imagine it might be a phony rap, could you?”

“I thought newspaper reporters were supposed to be drunk by this time on Saturday night.”

“Here’s to the men who blow up prisons.”

“You’ve no idea how utterly desirable you are to a girl.”

“Government officials bribing people. I thought it was the other way around.”

“Maybe it doesn’t pay to be an honest hardworking woman.”

This Woman is Dangerous (1952)

“Never mind how much you’d give, how much would you take?”

This Woman is Dangerous stars Joan Crawford as Beth Austin, member of the notorious Jackson Gang and girlfriend to brutal gangster Matt Jackson (David Brian). When the film begins, Beth, who’s experiencing blinding headaches, is told she will lose her sight unless she undergoes a dangerous experimental operation at the Halleck Clinic in Indiana.

After pulling off a bold robbery at a gambling den, Beth heads off to Indiana for surgery, while the rest of the gang–brothers Matt and Will (Philip Carey) and Will’s wife, Ann (Mari Aldon) remain behind. Beth is the cool head and brains of the operation, and when she leaves, she admonishes her jealous volatile boyfriend to keep a low profile.

While Beth undergoes the long ordeal of surgery and recovery, Matt goes ballistic stuck in a trailer waiting for news. Meanwhile Beth falls in love with her handsome, compassionate Doctor (Dennis Morgan) and this has violent repercussions.

This Woman is Dangerous was the last film Joan Crawford made for Warner Bros. Studios, and it was a film Joan loathed. The film’s main problem is its portrayal of Beth. The plot unfortunately only alludes to Beth’s dark past, and so Beth appears as a wealthy socialite (complete with mink stole) who’s done a little slumming with gangsters. While the persona of wealthy society dame is necessary for the robberies conducted by the Jackson gang, we never see beyond this portrayal. Beth is a complicated character, but the film chooses to portray her rather simply. There should be two sides to Beth–the woman who wants home and hearth, and gun moll Beth, but here she’s 100% genteel–desperate for respectability and domesticity. Just look at the eagerness with which she ties on that apron. Scenes at a women’s prison hint at a tough past and experiences that continue to haunt Beth. While with some tough dames, the soft mushy past is all but forgotten, with Beth the tough veneer is brittle and the softhearted tender woman is visible underneath. This leaves a main character who’s not quite damsel in distress but not quite believable as a tough gun moll either. And since Beth is supposed to be a bit of both, the film loses its edge of dark crime and Beth is seen more as a woman who’s been hanging out with the wrong crowd who then becomes an accidental criminal. From director Felix E Feist.

Some great lines:
Never mind how much you’d give, how much would you take?
Put on your trunks and jump in the lake.
My terms are a lot different for a good-looking woman than for a jealous man.

Knockaround Guys (2001)

Entertaining and slightly different gangster film

In the Knockaround Guys, Matty Dermaret (Barry Pepper) is the son of infamous mobster Benny Chain (Dennis Hopper). Matty tries to establish an honest life, but when he’s turned down for a yet another job thanks to his known mob connections, Matty decides to ask dad and Uncle Teddy (John Malkovich) for a job in the family business interests. Matty passes on the favour to his friends–all childhood friends Matty knows through his mob connections. Soon, Johnny Marbles (Seth Green) is flying a plane across country with a bag full of cash–$500,000 to be exact.

Unfortunately, Marbles, who isn’t exactly a model of grace under pressure, is separated from the bag in Montana, and soon Matty has some fast explaining to do. Matty–along with his friends Johnny Marbles, Chris Scarpa (Andrew Davoli), and Taylor Reese (Vin Diesel) descend on the tiny remote Montana town with the plan to get the money back before Benny Chain is held responsible for its loss.

I really enjoyed this film. I like gangster films, but I find that most of them seem heavy on violence and light on the plot, logic, and acting. One very fresh approach this film used was to stress the Italian mobsters at work in the Montana town. Some of the very best scenes occurred when Matty and his friends stumped by the seeming disappearance of the money, slowly and methodically devise a plan to rattle the natives. The natives’ response to the ‘tough guys’ is also a good part of this film. Matty and his friends are used to a certain amount of infamy and privilege that opens doors for them–how this translates to the barren, cowboy landscape of Montana is another matter. Matty and his friends are rather a motley bunch–they lack the credibility–with the exception of Taylor Reese (Vin Diesel)–and downright rottenness that their parents cultivated.

Incidentally, the role of Taylor Reese is a good one for Vin Diesel–as an actor, Vin Diesel is a lot more than muscle and tattoos. Pitch Black and Boiler Room showcased the sort of performances Vin Diesel is capable of, and I was pleased to see him in a role that allowed for another excellent performance. From directors Brian Koppelman and David Levien.

Night at the Golden Eagle (2002)

Gritty film–well done–not always easy to watch

Director Adam Rifkin’s dark film, Night at the Golden Eagle, is the tale of Tommy and Mic–two aging, small-time hustlers. Tommy (Donnie Montemarano) is released from prison with the warning from the warden (James Caan in a cameo performance) that he doesn’t want to see him back again. Mic (Vinny Argiro), Tommy’s boyhood friend is outside the prison gates waiting for Tommy, and the joyful reunion lasts less than 2 minutes, and ends as soon as Tommy discovers that Mic has sold the car. Mic is trying to turn his career criminal life around. He’s living in a disgusting flophouse hotel called preposterously The Golden Eagle. Mic works as a night-time janitor at peep-show parlour, and between the sale of the car and his meagre earnings, he’s scraped together a grand sum total of $2,500. He has bus tickets to Vegas and dreams that he and Tommy will have a new life in Vegas as Blackjack dealers surrounded by strippers.

Unfortunately, some old habits are hard to break, and while Mic goes off to mop the floors at the peep-show parlour, Tommy invites a prostitute to his room. Tommy and Mic are supposed to leave for Vegas the next day. What can possibly got wrong with their plans?

Both Tommy and Mic have problems with reality–Tommy hasn’t changed one bit, and prison hasn’t reformed him or sparked the least introspection. Mic, on the other hand, is the more complex character. He has changed. He wants life to improve–unfortunately, he’s not realistic either, and his fantasies of a new life in Las Vegas are pathetic and yet necessary to his daily existence. All the hotel residents have some form of mental escape–drugs, sex, impossible dreams, and one can hardly blame them, for the reality which surrounds them all is the Golden Eagle Hotel–it’s hell incarnate, and who wants to be conscious of the fact that they are residents of hell?

I was hooked into this film within 5 minutes. The lead actors–Donny Montemarano and Vinny Argiro had absolutely no prior acting experience, and they were just incredible. Vinnie Jones as Rodan, the pimp, is a rather unpleasant character who exploits young runaway Loriann. Loriann is one of life’s victims who wanders into the neighbourhood, and is rapidly recruited by Rodan after one brief “training session” given by fellow veteran prostitute Sally (Ann Magnuson). Loriann and Sally soon form a poignant pseudo mother-daughter relationship, and Loriann’s fate is sealed.

The cinematography is amazing, and many of the shots are in a golden tone. This creates a rather bizarre effect–the sordid, filthy squalor of the hotel in a warm, rich glow. This is not a particularly easy film to watch–its dark, depressing, and unrelenting view of the residents of the Golden Eagle hotel is nothing short of depressing. If you liked the raw honesty of Requiem for a Dream, chances are you will like this too.

Gangster No. 1 (2000)

The evil that men do

The film, Gangster No. 1, another entry in the British gangster genre–introduces us to a top gangster (played by Malcolm McDowell). He’s wearing an expensive tuxedo, sipping champagne, and smoking one fat cigar after another while we hear Tony Bennett singing “The Good Life” in the background.

The gangster receives the bad news that his old boss, Frankie Mays  (David Thewlis) is about to be released from a long stint in prison. This news causes the gangster to reminisce about the beginnings of his association with Mays back in 1968.

Indeed, most of the film is the story of the gangster’s rather mis-spent youth serving as May’s henchman. The gangster as a young man is played by Paul Bettany–but with some narration by McDowell. The young gangster rises through the ranks of Freddie’s organization by the use of his explosive violence, cunning, and ruthless ambition.

This film is one of the better British gangster films out there. This is due partly to the marvellous character study of the pyschopathic young gangster who turns out to be the deadliest thug in the bunch. The young gangster and his boss, Freddie, have a strange relationship. Freddie underestimates the young gangster and fails to see that he is different–more intelligent–than the rest of the crew. The young gangster has very powerful feelings about Freddie. He idolizes him, envies him, hates him, but all that is stirred in with suppressed homosexuality. The young gangster wants to be Freddie and wants to have all that Freddie has. There is one exception to all of this–and that is Freddie’s girlfriend. The young gangster hates her violently. Indeed, it is the introduction of the love interest that pushes the troubled relationship between Freddie and the young gangster to breaking point.

This film was flawed by one thing–the ending!! After such a brilliant build-up, I somehow expected more. The ending was a disappointment. The film was quite violent. However, dare I say this….it was tastefully done.

Great to see Malcolm McDowell back in a role worthy of his talents. And watch out for Paul Bettany–he was incredible in this film. Directed by Paul McGuigan (he’s Scottish, but I filed the film under British).