perkypops
As I watched this superb Ken Loach film I kept on being reminded of "Get Carter". It wasn't the storyline but the imagery, the characters, the acting, and the reasons why this film works so well. And the central idea, as in "Get Carter", is about seeking justice for something that has happened to someone close. From the moment we observe the bereaved Rachel, played with uncanny realism by Andrea Lowe, walk up and symbolically thump Mark Womack's Fergus we know we are in for a tough and uncompromising movie. And, as the story unfolds, we observe Womack's troubled character go through so many transitions whilst being so convincingly set on obtaining a certain justice for his best mate Frankie (John Bishop).And although there are complexities in unravelling who did what and to whom the basic story is very simple, so simple it tells itself right to the very end. There is no room for sentimentality in this film, no clear divide between the good and the bad, we are simply left to imagine what we might do in the same circumstances. If there is a moral to the story it is the price of justice and the cost of being a survivor when things go wrong for someone very close to you.The acting across the board is of the highest standard but I will single out Andrea Lowe and Mark Womack for performances which are stunningly realistic, beautifully honed and so powerfully delivered. These two just hold you in their grasp whenever they are on screen.It is not a film for everyone and the subject matter is very controversial but it achieves what it sets out to do. It makes you think about what you might do in the same situation, how far you might go, how guilty you might feel, and it does so without ever sensationalising what is going on.I recommend it wholeheartedly to anyone who enjoys being immersed in intelligent films.
rightwingisevil
This movie is excellent to certain degree that even the screenplay was not quite well scripted. The antiwar message was so strong and so true but still merely exposed tidbits of what happened after the invasion of Iraq sacredly titled "Battle for Iraq". "No Blood, No Foul" was just a basic motto for the international forces that joined the Crusade-like invasions to Iraq and Afghanistan under the name of Christian God and the beautified excuse to liberate the suppressed people in both countries. The whole endeavor is nothing but a conspired plot by the last guy who sat in the Oval Office and his Party peers on the Capital Hill, the Pentagon, and the Wall street, the Corporate America. "Killing one person that's murder, killing million that's conquer" , same as "A person who raid an ancient tomb is called a thief, a government digging up a ancient tomb is called archeology." There's no crime at all when a superpower country killing millions of other countries' people, because it's liberation; while small countries in civil wars killing tens of thousands is nothing but unforgivable inhumane genocide. I am forever confused. I am not quite sure why the guy got to kill himself in the end by jumping from the ferry. He should have married his dead best friend's wife and moved on.
rtaron
If you want a movie that will hold your attention and leave you feeling like you've watched a great movie, this is it. I am not a connoisseur of Ken Loach, or a movie snob, I just enjoy a movie that holds my attention.Unlike the other reviewers, I thought the characters were well-drawn and convincing. The effects used on the film itself such as graininess, washed out lomo effect, and darkness in the right places, makes this a pleasure to watch.The over-use of the f-bomb is a real factor. Men do talk exactly like that, but for a film less would have been more.The politics of the mercenary world are shown brilliantly and without any sense of preachiness or one-sidedness.Just an excellent movie.
lurpak
Just adding my balance to the reviews here. The acting does stand out as being particularly off in points, as you can see some of the actors eyes searching in the back of their heads trying to remember their lines as though they had received the script that morning. The story was hard to follow and unconvincing as a reason for a conspiracy. On the plus side, it did have potential, however potential is not any use to a finished product. I have to agree with another reviewer who suggested that Hollywood would have done a better job of it...and THAT really pains me to say as I do love British films mainly for that exact reason that we tend to make more subtle realistic action which makes it more believable and therefore more thrilling by its realism instead of impossible stunts (read Mission Impossible and anything by jon woo)
AD
