Naked (1993)

Johnny flees Manchester for London, to avoid a beating from the family of a girl he has raped. There he finds an old girlfriend, and spends some time homeless, spending much of his time ... See full summary »

Director:

Mike Leigh

Writer:

Mike Leigh

Stars:

David Thewlis, Lesley Sharp, Katrin Cartlidge

9 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
David Thewlis	...	Johnny
Lesley Sharp	...	Louise Clancy
Katrin Cartlidge	...	Sophie
Greg Cruttwell	...	Jeremy G. Smart
Claire Skinner	...	Sandra
Peter Wight	...	Brian
Ewen Bremner	...	Archie
Susan Vidler	...	Maggie
Deborah MacLaren	...	Woman in Window
Gina McKee	...	Cafe Girl
Carolina Giammetta	...	Masseuse
Elizabeth Berrington	...	Giselle
Darren Tunstall	...	Poster Man
Robert Putt	...	Chauffeur
Lynda Rooke	...	Victim

Storyline

Johnny flees Manchester for London, to avoid a beating from the family of a girl he has raped. There he finds an old girlfriend, and spends some time homeless, spending much of his time ranting at strangers, and meeting characters in plights very much like his own.

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Plot Keywords:

reference to the book of revelation | marijuana | homelessness | limousine driver | male frontal nudity | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

February 1994 (USA)

Also Known As:

Mike Leigh's Naked

Filming Locations:

London, England, UK

Box Office

Gross:

$1,769,305 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Thin Man Films, British Screen Productions, Channel Four Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

131 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

At the beginning of the movie Johnny says "I used to be a werewolf, but I'm all right noowwww!!". In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) (and its sequels), actor David Thewlis does play one.

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Quotes

Johnny: You know what frightens me about the human body?
Sophie: What?
Johnny: Well, it's like the, er, most sophisticated mechanism in the entire universe, and yet it's so fuckin' quiet, isn't it? Know what I mean?
Sophie: Dunno. Mine makes enough noise.
Johnny: It's like this, er, wet, pink factory. What the fuck are they makin' in there? I mean, what's the product? You never see no delivery trucks comin' and goin', do you?

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Connections

Featured in Mike Leigh in Conversation (2008)

User Reviews

Powerful, wearing, tough to stomach yet has to be seen

One of the most powerful British films of the 90s. Mike Leigh directs David Thewlis in an unrelenting, uncompromisingly cynical portrayal of self-loathing and alienation

In this, Leigh's toughest, most uncompromising work for cinema, Thewlis turns in a stunningly uningratiating performance. He utterly immerses himself in the role of Johnny, an articulate, disenfranchised angry young man, who's escaped Manchester after a bit of rough outdoor sex turns into something a lot like rape.

Johnny flees to London to hook up with an old girlfriend Louise (Sharp). While wandering around the city he gives free rein to his unfocused rage and indulges in some further degrading sexual encounters, notably with the dippy and compliant Sophie (Cartlidge).

This is brilliant stuff, but hard to stomach. Once again Leigh proves what a big problem he has with London's bourgeoisie, particularly with his portrayal of the smooth, sexually exploitative Jeremy (Cruttwell).

Leigh gives us so little to cling to here. There is barely a symphathetic character aside from security guard Brian (Wright), who dreams of escaping to Ireland. So the viewer is stuck with the edgy autodidact Johnny. It's an immensely powerful film about self-loathing and urban alienation, but, Thewlis' remarkable performanace notwithstading, staying the two hour distance is asking for a lot, even from die-hard Leigh fans.