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24 reviews in total

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21 out of 25 people found the following review useful:
A 'Sleeper' Of A Modern-Day Noir, 16 December 2005

Author: ccthemovieman-1 from United States

This is one of those sleeper films, a good one that is not very well- known.....but should be. I really liked this modern-day film noir when I first saw it over a decade ago and the three additional times since.

The movie has all the features of a good noir, most of all a feeling of impending doom throughout, which a good noir exhibits. You know some bad things are going to happen, but you just don't know what and when. That uneasy mood runs throughout the film.

Add some tough characters, great cinematography (nice colors, too, in this case) and even a good blues music score and you have an interesting film. The story here revolves around a ruthless American businessman trying to buy up an entire block of the businesses in one area in Britain.

There's humor in here too with a goofy Polish jazz band, which looked and sounded just awful, and just enough action throughout to keep from getting too talky. Tommy Lee Jones, Melanie Griffith, Sting and Sean Bean star and all are fascinating to watch.

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17 out of 20 people found the following review useful:
Chilly and Atmospheric, 23 October 1998
Author: TChiu from Los Angeles, CA

A beautifully shot film noir with natural, affecting performances and interesting characters who don't reveal everything in the first half hour. The great strength of the film is that it takes its time to slowly unravel, creating a mood of unrest and doom. The love story works but doesn't overpower the rest of the narrative. An enjoyable and sadly overlooked late-80s gem...maybe Figgis's recent success with "Leaving Las Vegas" will bring some attention to this earlier work.

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12 out of 12 people found the following review useful:
New British Cinema at its best!, 9 September 2002

Author: Mikew3001 (mikew4001@yahoo.de) from Hamburg, Germany

Like Mike Hodges' in his crime classic "Get Carter" (1971) starring Michael Caine, British director Mike Figgis takes another disturbing view on the dark city of Newcastle-upon-Tyne in this modern British jazz and crime drama. In "Stormy Monday", pop singer Sting plays a jazz club owner who is threatened by American business man Tommy Lee Jones who wants to take his club with violent oppression. Unfortunately Sting's close friend Sean Bean falls in love with Jones' girlfriend Melanie Griffith...

Even if you know this kind of plot from many other crime thrillers and serie noire dramas, this movie is well-balanced, thrilling, fascinating and fast-pacing. The actors are great, the pictures of the city of Newcastle, though photographed in rather neon-like 1980's glamour style, nearly as dark and menacing as in "Get Carter", and the superb jazz sound track (mainly composed by Figgis himself) adds much atmosphere to the story - and even Sting plays a great double bass solo on stage! Watch this great modern crime movie, as it's a good example of the rise of modern British cinema in the 1980's. I wish they would make such movies here in Germany...

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11 out of 11 people found the following review useful:
Sting, Sean, and Tommy Lee In Newcastle for Profit, 12 December 2005

Author: AZINDN from United States

Cosmo (Tommy Lee Jones) is an American businessman with lots of connections, most under the table, who arrives in Newcastle on Tyne to seal deals. The celebration of "America Week" in England announces the malling of Great Britain as American monies of dubious sources invaded while the Thatcher government turned its head. Into this cesspool, Kate (Melanie Griffith) a local waitress and formerly an "escort" for Cosmo is recruited to play nice to business associates he sends her way. Rolling over the small business owners like Finney (Sting) a jazz club owner, Cosmo has no qualms about getting what he wants whether by legit or illegitimate means.

A sub-storyline to the economic takeover by Cosmo is the love story between Kate and Brendan (Sean Bean), an Irish laborer who cleans toilets in Finney's club, but over hears the plans of two London seedy types who discuss how to make sure Finney sells the Kit Kat Klub to Cosmo. After informing Finney of their intentions, Brendan's loyalty is rewarded by his elevation to a go-for babysitting a progressive jazz band, the Krakow Jazz Ensemble who need to be picked up at the airport for a weekend gig. While Brendan carts the band around town, he falls in love with Kate. During their time together, Kate and Brendan are jumped and beaten by the roughs who surround Cosmo. The drama is predictable until a surprise twist and unexpected negotiation change the dynamic, and saves the film.

The story line entwine to provide worthwhile entertainment for an hour and forty minutes, and the actors all provide solid performances. The soundtrack is a nice mix of 80s Brit sounds and cerebral jazz tunes with Sting doing a solo bass bit mid-film although he does not sing. Tommy Lee Jones is wonderful with an evil yet subtle humor to his business dealings and the sight of a young, buff and naked Sean Bean is delightful.

A good afternoon film for a rainy day, if only for the performances by actors not usually cast together, and for director, Mike Figgis, an underrated early film worth checking out.

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10 out of 10 people found the following review useful:
A movie in the best film noir tradition..., 24 January 2002

Author: girlwonder530 from Boulder, Colorado, USA

I really enjoyed this movie. I'm a big fan of film, but more than that, I'm a fan of actors. Strong acting, as far as I'm concerned, can redeem even the worst of movies (under the right circumstances) - and it's wonderful when the film itself is already good.

Such is the case with Stormy Monday, the directorial debut of Mike Figgis (who would later have great success with Leaving Las Vegas). The casting seems somewhat unusual, but in the end is quite effective. I have never been a big fan of either Melanie Griffith or Sting, and by contrast, have always enjoyed Tommy Lee Jones and Sean Bean, so I was unsure of what to expect. But all four impressed me greatly with their performances. This is a film which requires the use of one's senses - we see the hopeful expressions on Griffith's and Bean's faces when they meet for the first time; we hear the frustration in the voice of Jones' crooked businessman when he can't seem to get his way, and the resolve in the voice of Sting's jazz club owner when he refuses to give in to Jones.

The cinematography (by the excellent Roger Deakins) is classic film noir, and when combined with the wonderful jazz soundtrack, creates a moody atmosphere not often seen in 80's cinema. Overall, this is a success - dark, atmospheric, and absorbing, an actor's showcase and a film enthusiast's smorgasbord. There should be more like this one!

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13 out of 16 people found the following review useful:
Coolest Brit film of the decade., 30 August 1999

Author: Mike Martin (typecast@netspace.net.au) from Australia

I have seen this film a few times since it came out more than ten years ago. I think it is seriously underrated. It has a great Jazz soundtrack written by Mike Figgis, the director (who went on to make Leaving Las Vegas). A brilliant cast: Sean Bean, Melanie Griffith, Tommy Lee Jones and Sting. It has a film noir feel throughout that fits the post-industrial Newcastle setting very well (lots of great location shots BTW). Last of all, the beautifully paced editing, which is just icing on the cake.

I can't help but notice that this film is not polling too well at the moment (averaging 6.5 out of 10.0), perhaps it's the slightly anti-American subtext?

While I didn't notice any direct references to this film in Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (apart from Sting doing an above average acting job in both of them). I think they would make a great double feature.

Worth it for the soundtrack alone : 9/10.

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10 out of 11 people found the following review useful:
An atmospheric film noir with engaging characters, 23 September 2002
Author: t-h-fields from Washington, DC

Stormy Monday has a fairly routine plot, with a few odd twists to it. What makes it special? Three things.

The atmosphere of the movie makes you feel as if you're having a nice evening out on the town, making your way from pub to pub. You can almost taste the beer, and smell the smoke. Most of the story is shot on location in the old Newcastle city center. If you're in the right mood for something like this, then it's perfect.

Secondly, the characters are interesting and engaging, yet enigmatic. You want to know more about them. None fit the typical Hollywood stereotype. Sting, Sean Bean, Melanie Griffith, and Tommy Lee Jones (a relatively obscure actor then) are all in top form.

Third, if you enjoy jazz, then this is a must-see. In that regard, it is comparable to The Cotton Club, Round Midnight, or Bird. The visiting Polish jazz band reminds me of the struggling young musicians in Leningrad Cowboys Go America. This was clearly made by someone who appreciates good music.

This movie, released in the late 1980s, may be hard to find. But it's worth it.

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7 out of 8 people found the following review useful:
Overwhelming film noir atmosphere, 4 January 2000

Author: Angeneer from Athens, Greece

I consider myself lucky I found it on the TV, even if I had lost a bit of the beginning. I will definitely rent it again. This film has an excellent atmosphere and absorbs you instantly. A great soundtrack compliments excellent performances by the four leads. The plot may be a little weak, but it is the feeling of the movie that plays a primary role. I even liked the love story inside, which is very unlike me. I see it is quite underrated here in IMDB, but for me it is a solid 9. Mike Figgis is an extremely talented director and this is a good example of his qualifications. Strongly recommended!

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6 out of 7 people found the following review useful:
tempests & teapots, 24 July 2008

Author: gurghi-2 from Lexington, Kentucky

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

The mist, the neon, the reflections- Roger Deakins could make snot shine. What a great looking movie.

And that's it. There's almost nothing else to distinguish Stormy Monday, which marches to its inexorable conclusion with measured indifference. Coincidences rule the day, while little things like character and consistency are passed over in favor of atmosphere and (perfunctory) symbolism.

Figgis can maintain a tone, but style alone just leaves me detached. The script is so tight, the story seems artificial; it succeeds mainly in assuring that none of the characters are worth giving a damn about. It's all breath, no blood.

In art, such aloofness has probably always been fashionable. It's also terribly juvenile, like a teenager who thinks that cigarette smoking makes him look grown-up. Stormy Monday is a poster child for going through the motions.

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9 out of 13 people found the following review useful:
deceptively paced thriller, 15 October 2000

Author: Sue Law from Sydney, Australia

Don't be deceived by the apparently slow pace of this film. Things are happening, but it's only later that you realise it, when the consequences of those early sequences start hitting and hitting hard. A well crafted film, set in Newcastle England, in which the lives of an out of work drifter, a tough prosperous night club owner, an American waitress and a hard-dealing New York businessman slowly intertwine until they're set on a collision course. All this to a seductive jazz soundtrack that just has to be heard over the hi-fi.

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