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Reviews
Wild Bill (2011)
wonderful film
Really well made with the first-time director making full use of his actors and their surroundings to make a film that is great to look at as well as being a well put together drama. All the main characters were excellently played by Charlie Creed-Mills, Will Poulter (who I last saw in the (also excellent) 'Son of Rambow'), the young Sammy Williams and Leo Gregory. I should also mention Liz White as Roxy and Charlotte Spencer as Steph; both did a great job also. A film with great emotional depth that doesn't over-play the drama too much and I have to admit I really enjoyed it!
The Gentlemen (2019)
Its okay, but badly paces.
It's Guy Ritchies Best since Snatch, it's where he is most playful and comfortable in a film genre he knows well. The Cast is perfectly picked, especially Hugh Grant giving a different but yet so funny performance. Sit back and enjoy 2 hours of a British crime drama, which doesn't take itself too serious If we hadn't had lock stock or snatch then this would possibly looked at in a more classic Ritchie film so don't expect it to be as great as those.
Villain (2020)
Great film let down by ending
I watched this one without checking the reviews first or anything because it sounded like a good plot. I wasn't disappointed. It can be very predictable at times, but it will toss a few curve balls that you probably aren't gonna expect. Its pretty solid. I think its definitely worth a watch if you enjoy this type of movie.
My main issue is a scene where the lead character batters some local villains and is waiting for their bosses to show up, but they never do and worse he then has a party like nothing happened.
April (2021)
Interesting genre, poorly executed
I love British Gangster movies, even sub genre of crime films like Villain which has its flaws, but i was very disappointed in April, amateur story telling and worse performances. Darren James King the writer/director also plays Tommy, who apparently is a nasty piece of work and recruiter of young boys, but I was never clear on his relationship to Neal Ward who plays Myles, are they friends, colleagues or stuck together, in a scene halfway through Tommy talks about recruiting little boys whilst they are sitting in a car and Myles clearly looks like he disapproves only to later recruit a boy and send him to Tommy.
Even when stories are gritty and dark, there are elements of enjoyment or understanding characters have in their lives, but not in this film and its not made clear why these men are doing what they do. Do they enjoy exploiting young boys and girls? Or are they themselves being forced to groom these young people. Myles is not a complex character, his father was horrible as played by David Streames, who was so over the top with his performance that he should have been a pantomime villain, but even these scenes do not explain Myles actions or motivations in this grooming storyline. Myles wife wants nothing to do with him, and he comes across like he might be regretting the life choices he's made, then flip flops back to scenes where he clearly is reveling in his actions and enjoying grooming young girls, like a scene when he is confronted by April's father.
This is clearly a low budget affair and there are issues with the Photography and Sound, but they could be forgiven if the director managed get a grasp on an interesting and coherent story. It left me feeling bored after the opening scene where Tommy is horrible to a prostitute whilst sitting in a car for no real reason, with a disapproving Myles who takes no action nor condemns Tommy, then later does something similar to a girl. The plot is nonsensical, victims are selected by some geezer in a hoodie with a note, how do they choose their victims and what are they chosen to do, drug dealers or prostitutes maybe sold off to foreign buyers as slave labour. The criteria for 'being chosen' is never clear and Myles participation is also vague, does he owe the note bearing hoodie money, does he just like doing it, what would happen if he stopped or walked away. In the end he has a crises of confidence after starting April down her new path, then tries to save her, which includes a shoot out with the chief bad guy, who delivers his lines like he's being paid by the hour, in a scene that Myles initiated, for no other reason that to end the movie with a shoot out? Killing them both I guess when you are a bad guy and turn good you have to pay the price.
I would not recommend this British film, it's also an insight to parents and young people to look out for geezers in hoodies with written notes, you might be 'chosen'.