This is the story of a guy who used to be a member of some radical faction of the IRA who has left that life and has managed to "go straight." He lives in Brixton, with a Rasta pirate DJ living above him, and a drug dealer living below him.
One day, some of his old comrades, wanted by the police, show up at his door, and drag him back into his old life. The always awesome Roger Daltrey shows up as one of the boys in the old brigade, though as someone else commented, he's not given enough screen time.
It was really cool to see Vinnie Jones get a three dimensional role. He's fantastic as a gangster or thug, but here he plays a guy with a conscience. He does a really convincing job of it, and as I'm used to seeing him play one kind of character, I was a bit surprised by this one.
I think part of what works here is he doesn't overact. He doesn't seem self-conscious about having what is, perhaps for him, a deeper character than usual. He pulls it off with reserve and without histrionics or over-acting, and I was pleasantly surprised with the result. I hope to see him do more of this kind of thing in the future (hopefully not to the exclusion of his tough guy gangster roles!) Patrick Bergin, an actor I wasn't familiar with before this movie, does a fine job as a radical bomber who seems to be in it for all the wrong reasons (such that there's anything but wrong reasons to be into political terrorism, but that's a whole other discussion). As an Irish tough guy with a swagger and an air of irresponsibility, he gives it just the right amount of gusto to make the character work.
Lennox Lewis is shockingly good as the pirate DJ, who plays a kind of counter-cultural authority figure or conscience of the film (he is said to be something like "the king" of Brixton.) I didn't even recognize him, but after this I hope to see him in more films.
The dubby, reggae soundtrack is fantastic - perfect, actually. The film concerns, at least in part, the interplay between English, Irish, and Jamaican characters, and the soundtrack and script seem quite cohesive in covering this theme.
I think this film is underrated. While it isn't The Godfather or anything, this is a solid film, with solid performances. I particularly liked the ending.
I recommend it, and I think it's certainly better than the 5.5 it presently has.
One day, some of his old comrades, wanted by the police, show up at his door, and drag him back into his old life. The always awesome Roger Daltrey shows up as one of the boys in the old brigade, though as someone else commented, he's not given enough screen time.
It was really cool to see Vinnie Jones get a three dimensional role. He's fantastic as a gangster or thug, but here he plays a guy with a conscience. He does a really convincing job of it, and as I'm used to seeing him play one kind of character, I was a bit surprised by this one.
I think part of what works here is he doesn't overact. He doesn't seem self-conscious about having what is, perhaps for him, a deeper character than usual. He pulls it off with reserve and without histrionics or over-acting, and I was pleasantly surprised with the result. I hope to see him do more of this kind of thing in the future (hopefully not to the exclusion of his tough guy gangster roles!) Patrick Bergin, an actor I wasn't familiar with before this movie, does a fine job as a radical bomber who seems to be in it for all the wrong reasons (such that there's anything but wrong reasons to be into political terrorism, but that's a whole other discussion). As an Irish tough guy with a swagger and an air of irresponsibility, he gives it just the right amount of gusto to make the character work.
Lennox Lewis is shockingly good as the pirate DJ, who plays a kind of counter-cultural authority figure or conscience of the film (he is said to be something like "the king" of Brixton.) I didn't even recognize him, but after this I hope to see him in more films.
The dubby, reggae soundtrack is fantastic - perfect, actually. The film concerns, at least in part, the interplay between English, Irish, and Jamaican characters, and the soundtrack and script seem quite cohesive in covering this theme.
I think this film is underrated. While it isn't The Godfather or anything, this is a solid film, with solid performances. I particularly liked the ending.
I recommend it, and I think it's certainly better than the 5.5 it presently has.