British gangster drama penned by the writers of 'Sexy Beast', featuring an ensemble cast that includes Ray Winstone, John Hurt, Ian McShane, Joanne Whalley and Tom Wilkinson. Ray Winstone stars as Colin Diamond, a London gangster who enlists the help of his friends to kidnap his wife's young French lover (Melvil Poupaud) in the hope of restoring his damaged ego.
MyMovies
With a stellar cast and pedigree scriptwriters, you'd be forgiven for thinking that "44 Inch Chest" is a sure-fire hit. ...
With a stellar cast and pedigree scriptwriters, you'd be forgiven for thinking that "44 Inch Chest" is a sure-fire hit. However, although it is penned by the excellent duo behind "Sexy Beast", Louis Mellis and David Scinto, "44 Inch Chest" is a very different animal.The film, directed by first-timer Malcolm Venville, in essence feels very much like a play, with the majority of the movie set in just one room. Poor old Ray Winstone, who plays the cuckolded Colin Diamond, has had a tough time of it. Not the cocky crim of "Sexy Beast", this time, Ray is a broken gangster. Deserted by his wife, who has been sampling the delights of a certain French waiter, Ray or rather for the purposes of "44 Inch Chest", Colin is in an absolute state. So what do you do when you are in this situation? Let your anger out? Get your mates round to cheer you up? Well Colin does both and a bit more besides. Aside from creating extra ventilation in his home with the help his wife's remarkably resilient body (Joanny Whalley), Colin kidnaps the boyfriend with the help of his dubious group of mates - sinister sexual predator Meredith (Ian McShane), mummy's boy Archie (Tom Wilkinson), shifty geezer Mal (Stephen Dillane) and Steptoe-wannabe and c-bomb extraordinaire Old Man Peanut (John Hurt). Not the sort of line up you want to find when you are tied to a chair in your underpants with a bag over your head.The film then primarily focuses on Colin's difficulties in dealing with his wife's betrayal and the question of how he is going to resolve the situation. Fortunately his old East End muckers are on hand with a few pearls of wisdom.With crisp, if supremely offensive, dialogue and numerous compelling performances - most notably Winstone, McShane and Whalley - "44 Inch Chest" certainly takes you on an emotionally charged journey. Plaudits are in order for the calibre of the acting and the scripting, but if there is to be a fault with the film, it lies in the fact that it struggles to move off the one issue. Gritty and at times uncomfortable viewing, "44 Inch Chest" will still leave you breathless.
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Press Association
Hip indie director Wes Anderson (The Royal Tenenbaums, The Darjeeling Limited) is an odd fit for Roald Dahl's classic children's ...
Hip indie director Wes Anderson (The Royal Tenenbaums, The Darjeeling Limited) is an odd fit for Roald Dahl's classic children's story. The film-maker certainly brings his offbeat and distinctly adult sensibilities to bear on Fantastic Mr. Fox, creating another portrait of familial dysfunction and miscommunication. Anderson imprints his personality so indelibly on the script, co-written by Noah Baumbach, that it's hard to see children enjoying the film. The simplicity and sweetness of the original story, which ran to less than 100 pages with illustrations from Quentin Blake, becomes obscured by rewrites and additions. Unlike his previous films, Anderson chooses stop-motion animation as his medium here and it works a treat. Visually, the months of painstaking effort have been worthwhile, including fast-paced action sequences of the wily vulpine sneaking around farmyards in search of a tasty treat. Mr Fox (voiced by George Clooney) is never content with his life, always looking to move up in the world with his long-suffering wife, Mrs Fox (Meryl Streep). He plots a daring raid on the chicken coop only to get caught in a trap. "If we're still alive tomorrow, I want you to find another line of work," seethes Mrs Fox. Two years later, Mr Fox has followed his wife's dictate and is the bread-winner for his family, including a disgruntled son Ash (Jason Schwartzman) who just wants to win the respect of his old man. Tension between the generations flares when nephew Kristofferson (Eric Anderson) comes to stay and puts poor Ash in the shade. Mr Fox cannot completely shy away from his animal instincts, and he turns to stealing from farmers Bunce (Hugo Guinness), Bean (Michael Gambon) and Boggis (Brian Cox), ropi, ng in Kristofferson to his hare-brained schemes. Having been humiliated by the fox, the trio lay siege to the trees where the family resides and open fire on Mr Fox, shooting off his bushy tail. Luckily, neighbouring critters including Badger (Bill Murray) rally around Mr Fox in his hour of need to help him elude the pursuers. Fantastic Mr. Fox is a visual triumph, let down slightly by a screenplay that doesn't know to which audience it is trying to appeal. The articulated characters have plenty of personality and there are some neat flourishes like when Mr Fox compliments his wife, "You're practically glowing, maybe it's the lighting", and her head is suddenly illuminated from within. The climactic escape is mind-boggling, leading to another cute gag reminiscent of Wallace and Gromit when Mr Fox races towards Bean's motorcycle and sidecar and drives away in an exact miniature replica hidden behind the hulking machine. The vocal performances from Clooney and Streep lend warmth to their warring couple, with fine support from Schwartzman, Murray and co, who are all regular collaborators on Anderson's films. For its technical ingenuity, Fantastic Mr. Fox is a film you admire and marvel at rather than unreservedly love.
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