Movies

This is a dark,intense 'film noir' type drama.The backdrop to it is Brighton, England of the 1960's with rebelling youth(mods and rockers).The actual story is about a young murderous psychopath thug involved in a gang war. A gullible waitress unwittingly becomes a witness to murder and the thug needs to deal with it.The movie is atmospheric and grim. No hint of much happiness nor any likable characters.Everyone in the movie is flawed in one way or another. Maybe that is why many people did not rate this movie highly.There is a religious and moral agenda in this picture which if recognized may disturb some viewers.I thought all the main actors gave edgy and compelling performances. The 2 leads namely Sam Riley and Andrea Riseborough are outstanding with on balance the latter stealing the show.The very last scene in the film is brilliant and thought provoking.7/10

Sometimes it's a character you liked that attracts, like the role Philip Davis played in Midsomer Murders. Other times it's to see a great star like Helen Mirren.Whatever the reason, it's always good to see a film based on a Graham Greene novel, like The Third Man, This Gun for Hire, The Quiet American, and many more.A young Richard Attenborough played in this movie in the 40's, here is falls to Sam Riley (Control, Maleficent) to play the lead. He is capably assisted by Andrea Riseborough (Oblivion, Shadow Dancer), as the waitress he marries to keep her from testifying as a witness.A good neo-noir with contributions from William Hurt and Nonso Anozie (The Grey, Game of Thrones).

I am not good at long reviews but I didn't see the original or read the book. Therefore I am judging this as a movie in itself rather than comparing it to the original. I thought it was excellent, the drab interiors, the plain simplicity of Rose, so well acted and the sadness in her innocence, all made this quite emotional for me. Helen Mirren was a delight to the eye, so beautiful, wrinkles and all. No cosmetic surgery there. I think they did a good job of making Brighton 1960s and sensibly only showed one CGI shot of the West pier, rather than trying to re-create what it looked like. It held my attention throughout and I very nearly cried at the end. Sad its getting bad reviews. Perhaps it was too British for some people.