Junkhearts (2011) User Reviews

Gritty but slightly disappointing...

[cat_ranchero · 6/10 · 16 September 2012]

Quite well made on a low budget; I did like the use of visual effects though, focus, the use of close-ups and lighting mostly, but quite effective. The performances were all pretty good; I found Eddie Marsan quite believable as Frank and Tom Sturridge was suitably intimidating as Danny. Newcomer Candese Reid as pretty good as Lynette although I'd like to see more of her work before I make a judgement on this performance. Finally there's Romola Garai who plays Christine, another character, more of her in a moment, she was pretty good also.

An interesting film with two parallel story lines; one involving Frank and Lynette and the other involving a well-heeled woman called Christine. She is a single mother with a young daughter; she's seeing a married man and her mother is taken ill. The thing is we don't see anything more about Christine until quite near the end of the film. I found myself wondering just what was the point of showing us those little fragments of her and then nothing more for about and hour (or so it seemed). But back to Frank; I guess I was hoping for a film along the lines of the rather excellent 'Harry Brown', but sadly not to be. Although there are parallels, this one doesn't take the same course and (I felt) it suffered because of it. It does have some good points though but be prepared to be a tad disappointed by the end.

SteelMonster's verdict: RECOMMENDED (Just)

My score: 6.0/10

You can find an expanded version of this review on my blog: Thoughts of a SteelMonster.

Nothing great

[digdog-785-717538 · 5/10 · 27 January 2012]

Junkhearts is a British, nearly-for-TV drama about the relationship between an ex-soldier and a homeless girl, their troubled personalities, and the hard lives they lead;

Though there are some interesting choices in the script during the early developments - the goldfish scene, where Lynnette does for Frank what he did for her in the self-defence scene - ultimately Junkhearts descends rapidly into a tabloid-grime film about crime, wasted youth, and defenceless characters, who from leads become merely a support to the trite story.

This film had potential, but the writers didn't have the material to get a whole hour and a half of film together; all in all, disappointing.

My vote: 5/10 - inconclusive, aimless, self-defeating.

Junkhearts - Tortured Souls - Bad Seeds.

[hitchcockthelegend · 7/10 · 24 January 2016]

Junkhearts is directed by Tinge Krishnan and written by Simon Frank. It stars Eddie Marsan, Candese Reid, Tom Sturridge and Romola Garai. Story has Marsan as Frank, an alcoholic ex-soldier suffering nightmares over an incident that saw him shoot a young mother. Frank strikes up an unlikely friendship with Lynette (Reid), a homeless girl sleeping rough on the streets. Once barriers are broken down, Frank takes Lynette into his home to stay, but it's not long before Lynette's drug dealing boyfriend comes a calling...

For the most part Junkhearts is a very gritty slice of British miserablism. The pic is populated by addicts and wannabe gangsters, in a part of London built of dingy concrete council abodes, and where single promiscuous moms struggle to keep a grip on their lives.

Director Krishnan suffered herself from PTSD, so she was on hand to ensure the great Marsan could do the role justice, while there's a refreshing street believability about young Reid's performance. The camera work is intense and deliberately intruding, with the sound work being hypnotic to add bleaker tones to the characterisations.

The harshness and hurts of addiction rings true here, as does the key betrayal plot line and the breakdown of Frank. Unfortunately the parallel plot line featuring Romola Garai undermines the grit and grime surrounding Frank and Lynette's world, and it sadly serves only to give the pic a somewhat disappointing ending. Whilst the introduction of gun and knife crime appraisals don't strike the requisite powerful chords.

Yet even with its flaws this is still an intense film, with Marsan on top form and some other technical smarts on show, it's well worth a look by anyone interested in a slice of some moody British underbelly. 7/10

Good film, if a little depressing

[ow_fire · 16 September 2012]

After reading a lot of negative reviews for this film I almost decided not to watch it. Had I not been aware of how many idiots there are on the internet I might have missed out on what turned out to be a flawed yet enjoyable film. All the characters range from pitiable to despicable and this provides the flow of the film and depressing content and although the ending came across as a little too contrived ( I had expected something a little more messy given the lives of the characters) the story for the most part seemed an accurate representation of life and rang true for a gritty realism drama. By no means perfect but well worth a watch. I would give this a 6 but as it possesses elements I have not seen expressed in film before I am going to give it a 7

Hey, wait a minute, what's it all about? Nothing? Yeah, that figures.

[karlericsson · 1/10 · 27 January 2012]

A beautiful film may be pointless but at least it's beautiful. You know, a film with beautiful scenery but nothing else really.

Now, an ugly film must have a point. If it's an ugliness that nobody knows anything about but that all should know about - well, that might be a point for doing the film.

Now, here there is plenty of ugliness but we have seen it before. No solution is offered, not even an absurd one. So, then why do the movie? Is it what we used to call "social porno"? Probably and just as all other porno it's pretty brainless.

Compare the end scene of this film with the end of the silent film The Crowd. The films are similar in that they deal with social issues but the ens scene in The Crowd is touching. The end in this film is contrived and somehow predictable. No surprises here and the contrived editing is just as boring.

8,5 - Are you MADD?

Sorry, but no thanks.

[missismiggins · 1/10 · 1 February 2012]

Frank, who normally plays slimy little mobsters is totally miscast in this - He just looks like a slimy little mobster, not an ex squaddie.

The acting in most part is pretty banal, almost like a home movie.

The believability of this movie is even worse - I mean come on..... an alcoholic buying 3 miniature bottles of whisky and a kids magazine for 18 pounds 50! Give me a break - This stuff looks like it was made by a 6th form film study group trying to justify some sort of interracial bonding between troubled souls - it just doesn't work - this rubbish will never get any major screenings, it will be lucky if it even gets to DVD! The self defence course in the park.... "Transfer the weight transfer the weight" was frankly embarrassing to watch.

Have film makers simply run out of ideas? Is there nothing original around these days - Better off going and watching a really decent movie like Full Metal Jacket, Bad Santa or any number of movies made 20 years ago with at least a bit of class.

Sorry, this movie does not deserve the 7.4 score on IMDb, it is claptrap.

Downbound train

[Prismark10 · 3/10 · 24 September 2015]

Junkhearts is a gritty film set in London that starts promisingly but gets derailed due to poor execution and a muddled and derivative screenplay.

Frank (Eddie Marsan) is a reclusive ex-soldier, drunk and suffering from post traumatic stress as he is haunted by his past. He takes in a young homeless girl Lynette (Candese Reid) when she is having a spot of bother outside an off licence and she stays at his shabby flat.

At first they strike up a tentative friendship but then her boyfriend Danny turns up and also moves into the flat before long there is sex, drugs, alcohol and partying and Frank is like a prisoner in his own flat and it looks like Lynette has used him.

I just wanted Frank to knock Danny's lights out but what we get is a dreary melodrama which stems into a cliché ridden thinly plotted mess.

Stunning debut

[mikerossitaly · 9/10 · 28 March 2012]

Please, please ignore any negative comments.

I have just had the privilege of watching this film with a group of recovering addicts(drugs,alcohol and of all age groups, most of them at one time or the other had lived on the streets).

Everyone of them testified to the realism of the movie, they all recognised aspects of themselves in the film and were moved by how close the director came to understanding their world.

The cast are superb,the small spots of humour are handled gently.

The whole piece is produced with great care and thought. I will undoubtedly watch it again

One to watch in 2012.

[RyanEddleston · 8/10 · 27 January 2012]

I've just seen Junkhearts at Chapter Arts centre in Cardiff. I saw Junkhearts solely because I'm a big fan of Eddie Marsan and wanted to see him in a lead role, as I think he's a fantastic actor with a great range and a lightness of touch. As expected Eddie Marsan was fantastic, here playing an ex-solider, and brought a freshness to quite a now archetypal character. Familiar as this archetype is, the character is normally played out in a flat depressed state that flies off the handle at a moments notice. Instead the director Tinge Krishnan chooses to create a distance between the character of Frank and everybody else, in terms of the acting, the cropped framing, the use of negative space, and specific points of focus, which works really effectively. Within Junkhearts we are also introduced to newcomer Candese Reid, who was found at Nottingham's Television Workshop – famous for Paddy Considine and the This Is England cast. Her character Lynette works her way under Frank's emotional barrier, fully realised in a spine-tingling scene where Frank cracks his first smile we've seen, bathed in gorgeous sun light. The performances of Frank and Lynette felt truthful and authentic and I felt sympathetic to each character and that's a testament to the director. Furthermore, the execution of the script really engaged me throughout. It was incredibly shot by Catherine Derry, I loved the self-defence/dance scene seeped in sunflare, the lovely bokeh in the bar scene with Shaun Dooley and Romola Garai, the bleak scenes in and around the tower block and lifts, the uncomfortable framing with Eddie when he's having flashbacks, the lovely slow-motion when he dances, and I loved the practical lighting, and the strip lighting inside the flat. If you like the work of Lynne Ramsay, Andrea Arnold, Mike Leigh, and Shane Meadows, Junkhearts could be right up your street. One to watch in 2012.

A triumph

[teri_doubtfire · 10/10 · 22 December 2011]

I couldn't recommend Junkhearts highly enough – if you only choose one film to see in 2012 I implore you to make it this one. I went to a showing of Junkhearts at The Renoir not sure quite what to expect, feeling compelled to go with a friend who had seen it advertised at the London Film Festival. I would have been satisfied simply to have been able to say I'd seen it if I'm honest. Instead I found myself completely lost in the lives of Frank and Lynette – an army veteran suffering from post traumatic stress disorder and a homeless girl from Nottingham. The story that unfolds seems bleak from the outset but it completely took my breath away. Sure it's not for the fainthearted, but it's also funny, moving and showcases a script full of wonders I didn't expect.

Authentic and powerful story, strong characters, beautifully shot

[info-81-313999 · 9/10 · 12 March 2012]

As a former trauma consultant, I can safely claim that Eddie Marsan's character draws from a credible and real portrayal of those who have experienced trauma in combat situations and war-zones. It is this authenticity that grounds Marsan's tremendous performance. Tinge Krishnan captures the mood, style and pace well to ensure the emotionality of the piece infuses into the viewer's awareness at just the right pitch, so we share the journey of the characters. Tom Sturridge should also take credit for his strong performance. Hats off to Simon Frank for writing an excellent script on a difficult subject, that doesn't exploit, sensationalise or stereotype. This is a film that will stay with you. And right it should.

loved it

[rukshan-mehra · 9/10 · 17 July 2013]

A great film with original characters and distinct empathy for those we forget to care about.

refreshing and original performances from the cast with each drawing you into their respective perspectives and conflicts

The film progresses with expert subtlety and authenticity that affords the audience the opportunity to develop an opinion on the controversial and intimate aspects.

But it does not sugar coat or hold back; the plot development was artfully punctuated with a strategic deployment of the quietly powerful moments and the raw and charged

I'm loving these gems of contemporary British cinema

a film with heart

[ratridesdragon · 8/10 · 4 May 2012]

This was an unexpected treat, a bunch of us were shown this movie. as part of a literature group. We are a mixed bag of folk, who have certainly seen our fair share of the kind of life experience on show here in this movie. we were told nothing of this film, but most of us agreed it was as authentic a depiction of addiction, alcoholism, crime, homelessness and p.t.s.d. (post traumatic stress disorder) as any other, in any movie ever. yeah it was ugly in places, but the beauty in i felt lay in the way that even these supposedly lowlife characters, could find some kind of dignity and redemption in their lives. I found a film full of honesty, humour and hope. a real treat indeed, the fact that the dirtector tinge came along to our humble group for the showing and a post screening discussion, also showed how the filmmaker's really cared about their creation and the audience.

Refreshing and honest

[karaalbertsmusic · 10/10 · 18 April 2012]

I happened to stumble upon Junkhearts by chance as I had that it had played at London Film Festival so when I saw it was playing at the Curson Renoir I thought I would go along. The film was incredible. The honesty of Frank (Eddie Marsan) and Lynette's (Candice Reid) relationship was really moving and unlike a lot of British indie films, didn't take itself too seriously. Although a film of substance, the moments of hope such as the scene in the field where Frank teaches Lynette self defense (which is beautifully shot) and the moments of comedy, particularly in the momentarily staring role of the fish "Goldie", are really uplifting. The balance is perfect and although it isn't the most easy subject matter, the script allowed moments of laughter, which was shared with others in the cinema

Eddie Marsan's performance is breathtaking. As an actor who's CV is filled with supporting roles, he takes center stage with a natural flare, conveying Frank's post-traumatic stress in a way that is perfectly subtle. It felt truthful and not at all forced, and I felt sympathy for him. He was easily likable.

To counter this, the story introduces Danny (Tom Sturridge), Lynette's drug-dealing boyfriend. Sturridge didn't just create a standard, run of the mill villain, which is also credit to director Tinge Krishnan. He created a character that we felt sorry for, as Sturridge created someone who we understood, making it clear why his character, who I don't think was a bad person, was doing what he did. He was just stuck in a bad situation, desperate to get out. This storyline also strengthened the relationship between Frank and Lynette, as we see Frank as someone who can protect her and save her from the world that she has found herself in.

If you see one film this year, make it Junkhearts. It is refreshing to see such an honest film, and the cast are exceptional. 5 stars.

Great to see interesting British film finally.....

[nannyjobnw3 · 10/10 · 7 March 2012]

I felt compelled to tell people about this challenging and bold British film. The acting is superb overall and the story felt very real. It tells the story about Frank played by the superb Eddie Marsan who invites a young girl who is sleeping rough on the street back to his flat. The girl is someone i haven't seen before - i just looked her up and she is called Candese Reid and is really a brilliant actress. Also Tom STurridge who i have only seen playing a different type of character in The Boat that Rocked is very good. He plays her boyfriend.

I liked the direction too and was so relieved to see an original and fresh style. I thought about the film for days and its ages since i've seen something that made me think so much.

I'd say its a must see if you are interested in cinema and in seeing something out of the ordinary.

Great British Drama

[me_doran · 10/10 · 7 March 2012]

Junkhearts is a gritty tale about finding friendship in the most unlikely places. At first glance it seems like a grim story about drug abuse and homelessness but despite the dark subject matter, the effect of this story is surprisingly uplifting.

Frank, a reclusive ex-soldier meets a young homeless girl called Lynette. As she has nowhere else to go, he agrees to let her stay at his house for a night. But his small gesture of kindness turns out to be a big mistake as Lynette's boyfriend, Danny, appears on the scene and turns Frank's life upside down.

Eddie Marsan, as per usual pulls of a stellar performance as Frank, an ex-soldier suffering from post traumatic stress disorder. I was also delighted to discover Candese Reid (watch this space), who plays a young runaway from Nottingham.

A great contemporary British drama and a must-watch for any Marsan fans.

Great British Sci-fi yarn....

[mr-shanelevene · 9/10 · 20 August 2012]

Junkhearts is just about the best sci-fi/paranormal activityesque film I've seen all week. My favourite scene is where the aliens descend and take away our anti-hero (eddie marshan) for some serious self-analysis to try and get his head better after returning home war-down. I think the director did a great job with the CGI effects on Eddie's looks... he kinda looks like something that Wes Craven never used in The Hills Have Eyes (1 and 2). I must admit, some of the outer space scenes seemed a little unrealistic, and the scene where Danny (Tom Sturridge) and Christine (Romola Garai) had a passionate embrace on mars just didn't work for me.

Still, sci-fi and genre aside, this little British jewel does have its serious side, taking us deep inside the mind of a mentally deranged soldier who is battling his urge to drink by going to war. With no more wars left, only those raging in the outer reaches of the galaxy, our marinated antagonist hits the bottle big time and that's when help (from a very unlikely source) arrives. It's here where I have what is probably my biggest problem with the film... the little props and scenery. The vodka looked like water and when the spaceship took off for the final time the cups in Christines house seemed empty and glued to the table. But this is a minor gripe considering just how great this film is. I guess when something is faultless you search out errors. It's like what My Physics teacher (Mr Knapton) once told me: "You'll NEVER get a 100% mark in your exam... 99.9%, yes, but NEVER 100. The markers will always find some error, no matter how irrelevant!" Well, I guess that speech hit me deeper than I thought, because here I am, 20 years later, proving Mr Knapton's theory 'One Star Down' theory correct.

But back on subject, and to sum this hard-hitting, low budget Brit-flick up, I'd say it's the best Sci-fi pic I've seen this side of insanity. The director done well with limited budget and ex-Craven rejects and managed to pull of a stupendous action/effects film... all without a drop of blood anywhere!

9 outta 10!!! Two thumbs up from Tristram Spencer!

Some mesmeric acting and a good script

[julians-367-246642 · 8/10 · 11 May 2012]

Eddie Mardsen and Tom Sturridge are great as you would expect Sturridge acts against type and is really sinister with a sense of menace and suppressed violence Candice Reid is a brilliant new actress in my view- great to see a newbie given such a key part and really pulling it off. She hold the film together and you care about her fate and fear for her on the streets of East London The central characters are convincing and hold your attention throughout The place is Brick Lane and this part of London is really another character in the film If you know the place it enhances your enjoyment of the film Didn't really see enough character development in the Romola Garai role for that bit of the film to work for me But overall this films will hold your attention and make you care about the people-esp Candice Reid

Bleak but sincere! Enjoyed very much

[b-monday · 9/10 · 13 January 2016]

Had me screaming at the TV by the end - the story swirls deeper and deeper down and pulls everything with it. A real snowball! Part of the film's grasp on me was its realism, very well done. There is an awkward tension between Frank and Lynette, especially when they first meet, and it is interesting to watch their relationship develop as they gradually loosen up around each other. Marsden's performance as Frank is fierce and brutal, sometimes a bit gross - he really gave it his all. The story seems to thicken quite naturally and film is very good at making the viewer empathetic to its heavy story lines. The story is bleak but sincere.