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Reviews
One for the Road (2003)
One for the bin
I really wanted to like this film, but it boiled down to Lock, Stock and Two Broken Whiskey Bottles.
The plot concentrates on a group of convicted drink-drivers and their journey through 'alcoholism therapy' - how they deal with their misdemeanour and the effects that their drinking have on friends and family. However, it's not a dour tale of depressed drinkers or even alcoholics; it's four men going through crises and spending a lot of time in the pub.
The characters were strong, but have all been done before in 'Lock, Stock' and 'Trainspotting' - the young lad, the lairy misfit, the nice bloke trying to do good and the sensible one, but the plot was shot through. There was no real bite to the story, no surprises and no thrills. The tone was patronising and the visuals Trainspotting-esque.
Szegénylegények (1966)
The Trial of Lynch?
The setting was suitably stark; I loved the scenes around the old woman's house; so desolate and bleak. I enjoyed the Kafkaesque aspect of it and the bluff and double bluff between the protagonists. The main character could have been a real influence on Lynch's Henry in Eraserhead; a victim and a loser.
Having said that, the film didn't grip me but it did what it set out to do, I suppose.