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Johnny Was (2006) -- Open-ended Trailer from First Look Home Entertainment

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Overview

User Rating:
5.5/10   1,107 votes
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Director:
Writer:
Brendan Foley (writer)
Contact:
View company contact information for Johnny Was on IMDbPro.
Genre:
Tagline:
Stop running. Face the future.
Plot:
Johnny Doyle escapes a violent past in Ireland to lie low in London, until his former mentor Flynn breaks out of Brixton Prison... more | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
NewsDesk:
(21 articles)
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User Reviews:
Screening at BAFTA London - really enjoyed it more (38 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Vinnie Jones ... Johnny Doyle
Patrick Bergin ... Flynn

Eriq La Salle ... Julius

Samantha Mumba ... Rita
Lennox Lewis ... Ras

Roger Daltrey ... Jimmy

Laurence Kinlan ... Michael
Wilson Jermaine Heredia ... Sparra
Mark Asante ... Nathan

Sam Sarpong ... Skipp

Charles Porter ... Diggs
John Fashanu ... DJ Fash
Colin Stewart ... Druggie
Emma Little ... Cafe Waitress (as Emma Lyttle)
Gerard Carlin ... Dead Junkie
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Additional Details

MPAA:
Rated R for violence, pervasive language, drug use and brief nudity.
Runtime:
USA:93 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Sound Mix:

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Lennox Lewis spent his honeymoon in Belfast filming the movie less than a week after the wedding in Jamaica. more
Goofs:
Anachronisms: In the shootout scene with the police in chapter 10, the white police Vauxhall Vectra has the registration number ATM 874L, this is a 1972 registration and the car is clearly post 2000. more
Movie Connections:
References Fantasia (1940) more

FAQ

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15 out of 20 people found the following review useful.
Screening at BAFTA London - really enjoyed it, 24 September 2006
9/10
Author: Henry from United Kingdom

What a complete surprise and what a great story. I went to the screening with a bunch of friends knowing virtually nothing about this other than the cast, which was very celeb-driven.

It looks like a little low key action movie, and in some ways it is, but the story, the quirky characters and the subject matter - about race, national identity and gangster morality - is much smarter than most of the britflicks of recent years. It is like a strange hybrid of Long Good Friday and dark almost comic-book B Movie, and the low key dialogue plays well against the violence in the background.

It completely pulled me in. Vinnie Jones had one foot in his usual hard-man act, but the other was as a much more thoughtful guy, running away from his past.

Patrick Bergin plays a larger than life veteran psycho and is responsible for most of the dark laughs. La Salle is great and the opposite of his old ER character. Talking with my friends afterwards, there was disagreement about Samantha Mumba the former pop singer. Some thought she was too low key, but I thought she played the character of a junkie gangsters girl very well. Everyone agreed that Vinnie and Lennox Lewis were the best performances. Old Rocker Roger Daltrey was also good in a smaller role.

Some of the action looked a bit wobbly, but London came out looking well, especially Brixton Market.

Our verdict: if you are looking for a big budget action movie, this isn't it. But if you are sick and tired of movies which are all flash and no substance, this one with its unusual settings and great characters that stay with you after the movie is over might be for you.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Johnny Was (2006)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Accents dcypher2122
This is shot in Belfast....not brixton Aaronhaughey
soundtrack release?? dubadas
Good Movie angescud-1
Stiff Little Fingers chriselmer
Johnny Was Music andyb2525
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