"44 Inch Chest", a powerful and explosive drama of retribution, is the feature film debut of renowned photographer and commercials director Malcolm Venville.
Sweary Beast
Scripted by the duo who brought you (the, to my mind, over-rated) SEXY BEAST, and with some of the same cast, viewers expecting more of the same will be disappointed because with so much of the action taking place in a single drab room, this is less a British gangster film and more a poor man's Pinter play, and one with dialogue by the ghost of Peter Cook in full 'Derek & Clive' mode!
I don't know if the excessive profanity is meant to be amusing or shocking/hard-hitting, but either way it fails because it just comes across as awkward and unconvincing (the usually reliable Tom Wilkinson seems particularly ill at ease with some of the lines he has to deliver).
Of the rest of the top drawer British cast, Ian McShane and Steven Dillon seem to enjoy themselves (more than I did, anyway), Ray Winstone suffers admirably, and Joanne Whalley is suitably alluring as the cause of all this misplaced machismo (misogyny?), but only John Hurt really manages to create a convincing character - albeit a totally unlikeable one - and consequently gives by far the best performance, one worthy of a far better script/film (mind you, that's something you could say about half the films on his CV!).
But they're all acting in a vacuum - if the set-up feels like it came from a Pinter play then a more accurate/honest title (44 INCH CHEST? Why??) could've been taken from a Pirandello play: SIX CHARACTERS IN SEARCH OF AN AUTHOR.
So ulitmately recommended for Winston, Whalley and Hurt completists only...
This is a fascinating film. The story is pretty simple. Hard man, Colin Diamond isn't so hard when his wife Meredith tells him she has a lover and is leaving him. Apart from the expected brutality you would expect from this revelation -it is a gangster film after all - comes a less typically but probably more realistic interpretation of the likely fallout produced. Without spoiling the plot too much, predictably his mates want to seek revenge, but what emerges is that really they think that Diamond is being a bit of a drip ( and that is putting it in much politer terminology than they use) and they just want to do the necessary damage and get on with their lives. At times there are some surreal moments which although initially confusing, represent the scenes going on in Colin's distressed and alcohol induced hallucinations. Winstone is utterly convincing throughout his tear stained performance, which due to its small cast and simple set locations would seamlessly transfer to the stage. Other outstanding performances occur from all the actors in this relatively small cast, but particularly from John Hurt and Tom Wilkinson. If you just like shoot 'em ups, you might agree with the negative reviews from others, but if you like intelligent writing and well considered acting performances, you are guaranteed to enjoy this film, as long as you can bear the inevitable strong language.
Verdict
Gripping, interesting and well performed!
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Please note this is a region 2 DVD and will require a region 2 (Europe) or region Free DVD Player in order to play. A jealous husband and his friends plot the kidnapping of his wife's lover with the intention of restoring his wounded ego. Actors John Hurt, Ray Winstone, Ian McShane, Tom Wilkinson, Joanne Whalley, Dave Legeno, Stephen Dillane, Steven Berkoff & Melvil Poupaud Director Malcolm Venville Certificate 18 years and over Year 2009 Screen 16:9 Languages English Duration 1 hour and 31 minutes (approx)
British gangster drama penned by the writers of 'Sexy Beast', featuring an ensemble cast that includes Ray Winstone, John Hurt, Ian McShane, Joanne Whalley and Tom Wilkinson. Ray Winstone stars as Colin Diamond, a London gangster who enlists the help of his friends to kidnap his wife's young French lover (Melvil Poupaud) in the hope of restoring his damaged ego.
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