44 Inch Chest

44 Inch Chest has been compared - probably just because it shares the same scriptwriters - with the much loved British crime film Sexy Beast. But it's way, way better than that: stunningly good, in fact. More relevant reference points would be Othello, Derek And Clive, Reservoir Dogs, Glengarry Glen Ross and The Long Good Friday, yet somehow it also emerges as triumphantly original. Not to mention dark, moving, lyrical, suspenseful, imaginative and frequently hilarious. There are moments of disturbing violence, but also of pathos and even profundity. Every character seems uncannily real. One of them describes love as both very simple and very complex, and so it is with the film itself.

Ray Winstone plays Colin, a rough-hewn car salesman whose life collapses when his wife (Joanne Whalley) falls for someone else - a French waiter (Melvil Poupaud) - and wants to leave. Colin's gangsterish friends - who range from misogynistic tough guy Old Man Peanut (John Hurt) to Mephistolean homosexual Meredith (Ian McShane) - kidnap the lover, and take him to a decrepit old London house. The level of revenge to be exacted is now Colin's call, with murder a distinctly plausible option. It's a basic premise, but the magic is in the treatment (the film announces an exciting new talent in debut director Malcolm Venville), so that what might have been flaws become strengths: staginess becomes gripping claustrophobia, and foul-mouthed ranting metamorphoses into poetry.
     

As you'll have gathered, 44 Inch Chest is really something. It boasts a crackerjack cast and a richly dense script, and scenes of inspired fantasy and hallucinatory nightmarish power. Ray Winstone, always impressive, has never been better; this is the stuff of both little-man poignancy and Shakespearean tragedy. For anyone not deterred by extended scenes of testosterone-fuelled fury, it's absolutely unmissable.

Romeo Is Bleeding

An overlooked but entertaining blip in Gary Oldman's filmography, 1993's Romeo is Bleeding fizzled out between the popular Bram Stoker's Dracula and Leon: The Professional. Thematically, it's got more in common with the latter: Oldman portrays New York cop Jack Grimaldi, who's only slightly less vile than Leon's Norman Stansfield. He's got a one-sided marriage to Natalie (Annabella Sciorra), a doting mistress Sheri (Juliette Lewis), and ties to mob boss Don Falcone (Roy Scheider) that have resulted in $350,000 of payoff money buried in his backyard. But he's not completelyheartless: not only does Jack show hints of regret, he even cried during The Sound of Music once.

Jack's selfish, restless nature reveals itself at almost every turn, especially since he makes no real attempts to change until long after he's in over his head. The catalyst for Jack's well-earned undoing is one Mona Demarkov (Lena Olin), a seductive mob assassin who's transported by Jack to a safe house with predicable results. It doesn't take long for her to literally leave our anti-hero with his pants down, ramping up the tension early and establishing Mona as a major threat to just about anyone who crosses her path. Romeo is Bleeding paints the formidable femme fatale one stroke away from a female Terminator: she's almost always one step ahead, cheats death multiple times, and toys with her male prey, wearing a smile on her face and little else. It's a bold tactic for an extremely bold movie: one that goes so far over the top at times that it's difficult to fathom if we're meant to take everything seriously.

Yet Oldman, Olin, the supporting cast, and director Peter Medak aren't here to crack many jokes, which makes Romeo is Bleeding a close cousin to pulpy, neo-noir efforts like Sin City (whose source material predates Romeo is Bleedingby two years). But really, you could substitute almost any classic noir as a template for the film's twisting plot and downbeat atmosphere, even without its hard-nosed narration and jazzy score. Like Sin City, there's just more sex and violence to remind us how deep Jack's rabbit hole really goes, especially since he's in league with two imposing forces (Mona and Don Falcone) that actually make him slightly sympathetic in comparison. Not surprisingly, things don't work out for Jack in the end: the lesser of three evils prevails but just barely, left to stew in his own juices as a bitter blend of karmic justice and full-circle flashback. It's a wild and entertaining ride, to be sure...but not one without its fair share of bumps along the way, and one you probably won't revisit on a regular basis.

Still, there's enough here to warrant another look at this critical and commercial misfire. The world of 1993 was likely turned off by the film's more graphic events and characters, which have long since been one-upped on network TV and the big screen countless times over. That doesn't make Romeo is Bleeding any less ugly on several occasions, it just makes it easier to see what the film offers behind all that shock value

A contrast of daily grind and desperate measure, The Living is peculiar and private enough to be grimly riveting

The title aptly portrays the life of ordinary folks, with all the familiar problems or flaws one expect from them. It shows domestic issues and mundane stuffs in a patient pace, yet the delivery of characters feels so genuinely inviting. Good script and acting make these unassuming characters easily identifiable while presenting twists so bizarre they might just be unnervingly realistic.

After what seems to be a domestic violence, Teddy (Fran Kranz) and Molly (Jocelyn Donahue) are not in the best terms. The debacle disturbs Molly's brother Gordon (Kenny Wormald), who has timid personality but is highly determined to resolve the situation. Each character tries to overcome the issue but with much different means, the couple might attempt to sort it out between themselves, but Gordon opts for much dangerous path of hiring a hit-man.

It plays out in solemn tone, occasionally switching between trivial matters and risky shady business. Fran Kranz is pretty convincing as the remorseful husband. Heartfelt apology, some humor and compromising nature make him a more likable guy than expected. As for the wife, Jocelin Donahue delivers a very compassionate performance. She remains strong yet it is her weaknesses which serendipitously create a compelling and deep character.

Both of them look excessively normal, though in some subtle ways the movie keeps the audience guessing if the forgiveness is warranted. Meanwhile Kenny Wormald looks frightened and confused as he steps outside his comfort zone, meeting the hit-man Howard (Chris Mulkey). As the least confrontational character, Gordon is put in situations he fears the most, especially when Howard is exceptionally aggressive. Gordon seems cowardice and reluctant, though he has a sincere nature which could appeal to the audience. Howard, on the other hand, is incredibly antagonistic, just giving malicious intent with every word spewed.

Cinematography produces a somber view of their lives. Using backdrop of mostly rural town it looks modestly slick. Much of the scenes are people dining as the camera shoots them from the side and occasionally pans. The visual lets the actors deliver their emotional lines in laid back manner, when the twists occur the quaint ambiance actually produces more impact. This is a relatively slow thriller, but it is never tedious.

The Living presents an intimate look of the characters' lives, so close to home it's both disturbing and also absorbing.