bill bodkin crosses the pond for this week’s column …
Release Date: May 15, 2005 (U.S. — 10 Screens)
First Saw It: One of my first Netflix rentals at my first apartment in Red Bank, N.J., circa 2006
What Drew Me to See It: My love for caper flicks, particularly ones produced by the team of Guy Ritchie and Matthew Vaughn and the recommendation from my best friend who after seeing the film called me and said, “DUDE! You need to watch this movie.”
Starring: Daniel Craig, Sienna Miller, Michael Gambon, Colm Meaney, George Harris, Jamie Foreman, Sally Hawkins, Burn Gorman, Tom Hardy, Ben Whishaw
Before-They-Were-Stars Appearances: The film’s release on DVD in the U.S. was done mostly to capitalize on Craig’s debut as James Bond in Casino Royale. He’d largely been a character actor in American in films like Road To Perdition and Munich. However, there are three supporting actors in the film that went on to much bigger things down the road.
The first was Sally Hawkins, who a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Comedy or Musical for the film Happy-Go-Lucky and then gained huge critical praise in 2010’s Made In Dagenham.
The second was Burn Gorman, who played Hawkins’ cohort Gazza. Gorman went onto become a sci-fi favorite when he went on to star as Dr. Owen Harper in the BBC series Torchwood. He later went on to co-star in the acclaimed BBC drama The Hour along with Layer Cake alumn Ben Whishaw.
Finally and most importantly, Tom Hardy appeared as the chemist Clarkie. Hardy, despite being in of Star Trek: Nemesis and Band Of Brothers, was still a relative unknown. Here, he’s a supporting actor, but still a vital part of Craig’s entourage.
Going a Different Direction: Guy Ritchie was originally intended to direct the film, but due to prior commitments dropped out. This allowed Ritchie’s longtime producer Matthew Vaughn to step behind the camera. Since this film, Vaughn has gone on to direct Stardust, Kick-Ass and X-Men: First Class.
The Best Performance: Craig as the nameless drug dealer who is referred to in the credits as “XXXX.” What’s great about Craig’s performance is the progression of his character from slicker than your average drug dealer looking to get out after one final deal to a man, completely thrown off the deep end, in over his head, running for his life. Craig’s steel blue-eyed grit, which we’ve seen in so many films, is coupled with a little seen a one-two punch of wanky British sarcasm and this animal in a cage sense of desperation. It’s a performance that you won’t find in many of his films.
The Supporting Scene Stealer: Colm Meany as the vicious gangster Gene. Meany is always, always the perfect jerk in any film or TV series he’s in. Here, he portrays a bit of a different character — he’s still gruff and brutal, but he’s also much more intelligent and slick. He’s a guy who plays both sides of the fence, he keeps irons in every fire and knows when to push all his chips to the center of the table.
The Moment to Remember: The ending — it’s one that will absolutely resonate with you. You’ll never see it coming. It’s so startling that it’ll have your mouth agape. And I honestly in good faith can not reveal what happens — it’s that good.
The Memorable Quote: After a series of mishaps, XXXX has become the target of the feared hit man Dragan. The following is the first conversation the two have …
XXXX: [over the phone] Dragan?
Dragan: Yes.
XXXX: I’ve got an idea … Why don’t you come ’round for breakfast? I’ll squeeze some orange juice and grind some coffee and we can talk about this like adults. How’s that sound?
Dragan: Sounds very hospitable.
XXXX: Do you know where I live?
Dragan: No.
XXXX: Well, fuck off then.
[hangs up]
The Groan Moment: When XXXX first meets Sienna Miller’s character in a club. The whole thing is a bit whatever as it doesn’t add much to the overall film … or does it? Miller’s not exactly a tour de force in terms of acting, so it’s a little painful watching her act … put it on mute and you’ll like her acting more.
Why I Can’t Stop Watching It: It’s a Guy Ritchie caper film that lacks the crazy camera work and the hyper-caffinated editing but maintains a killer soundtrack, enough plot twists and turns to have you glued to the TV and it teems with excellent performances. It’s fun yet serious, thrilling and tragic.
