London Kills Me (1991)

For want of a nail a shoe was lost, for want of a shoe... a young man's life is almost lost, which is exactly what this film is all about: a man barely twenty who wants desperately to pull ... See full summary »

Director:

Hanif Kureishi

Writer:

Hanif Kureishi

Stars:

Justin Chadwick, Steven Mackintosh, Emer McCourt

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Justin Chadwick	...	Clint Eastwood
Steven Mackintosh	...	Muffdiver
Emer McCourt	...	Sylvie
Roshan Seth	...	Dr. Bubba
Fiona Shaw	...	Headley
Brad Dourif	...	Hemingway the Restaurant Manager
Tony Haygarth	...	Burns
Stevan Rimkus	...	Tom Tom
Eleanor David	...	Lily
Alun Armstrong	...	John Stone
Nick Dunning	...	Faulkner
Naveen Andrews	...	Bike
Garry Cooper	...	Mr. G.
Joseph Alessi	...	Plainclothes Policeman
David Hounslow	...	Plainclothes Policeman

Storyline

For want of a nail a shoe was lost, for want of a shoe... a young man's life is almost lost, which is exactly what this film is all about: a man barely twenty who wants desperately to pull out of London's drug world by taking a job as a waiter in a 'normal' restaurant. But to do this he must come up with a "sensible pair of shoes," an item that his homeless meanderings hasn't provided him. In fact, the shoes become a symbol of his striving to break away from those, like himself, who are caught up in the tragedy of drugs and lasciviousness which is so aptly described... sometimes graphically, always realistically... in this film.

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Plot Keywords:

shoes | drugs | restaurant | waiter | illusion | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for drug use, language and some nudity

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 December 1991 (UK)

Also Known As:

London Kills Me - levottomat jalat

Filming Locations:

London, England, UK

Box Office

Gross:

$170,667 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Channel Four Films, Film Four International, PolyGram Filmed Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

107 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

User Reviews

One of the better 90s urban-ite movies

I really like this film! Of course the apparent main story of the shoes is nonsense, but I see this as a kind of a modern fairy tale. A very likable, light hearted story of a group of misfits & druggies going on with their life. I could relate to the characters quite well and many of them reminded me of people I know so even though basically they are obvious caricatures, IMO they are based enough on reality to make them fit for a film. The pace of the film is very loose & relaxed, and it has that special kind of... (sorry I'm not a native speaker) serendipity? Surprising beauty of very ordinary things that emerge from the everyday noise & chaos. The scene where the posse visits the countryside is very bitterly beautiful in so many ways.

It's not a documentary, so I won't really go into the subject of it giving a realistic image of the early 90s England or not.