If this film were a song, it would rival, "Satisfaction," Beethoven's "Ninth Symphony," or perhaps a Miles Davis composition for all you jazz fans!! What was especially intriguing about this film was how all the elements complement one another like a properly spiced Chinese or Italian meal. You leave the table with a sense of satisfaction, joy and as though your time on Earth, at least the last 80 minutes or so, were spent wisely. It will be interesting to watch actors ACT, a plot DEVELOP, the underlying theme respected and the writer's vision followed with great care!! This film will give you the sense that a TEAM of professionals worked passionately and painstakingly in a coordinated and deliberate manner to manufacture a conscious effect upon the viewer. You feel treated as a well-respected member of a brotherhood of a almost forgotten art form. Peter Laurie, the antagonist of the story, plays his hand brilliantly and steadily in a realistic manner instead of relying upon stereotypes. The leader of the underworld, (actor unknown) appears to control his people with the skill of a puppet-master and reminds one of the notorious Joseph Goebbels, masterful manipulator of the truth pulling the strings behind the scenes. The film has well-defined boundaries, brilliant sets and props that bring a certain charm and realism to the film's character and a cast nicely suited to keep the viewer focused upon the illusion that you are watching a documentary, not a feature film.
