penseur
Although it contains some funny moments, this film is no comedy; rather it is a biting satire of the mess that resulted when the Conservative Government in the UK decided to split up and privatise British Rail in 1995 (one wonders why they didn't go all the way and do the same to the highways) as seen through the eyes of track workers. Perhaps the most ludicrous moment is when their supervisor in their newly created regional private company tells the workers to take equipment out to dump bins and smash it up because "it isn't up to scratch, we've got to have high standards now." "But it's perfectly good, can't we sell it?" they protest. "What, sell it to the competition?" is the response. Later they are told that management's streamlining (making staff redundant) has been too successful: they are now too small to be viable and the depot has to close, the rest of the workers have to go. Aside from the almost documentary of the plight of Britain's rail network, there are personal interactions between the working class characters in their daily lives that viewers can empathise with. In all it's well cast, well scripted and well directed.
ch-de-hon
Generally I adorn Ken Loach's films, but here it is a boring story. With an English humor touch, the author tells us the story of the privatization of British rail. It's long, very long and so British. It's hard to be concerned by annoying script.
Keith John Ryan
The usual descriptions have been "grim" and "gritty", this overlooks just how funny the dialogue and some of the situations are.And the actors performances are so convincing you forget that they are actors and not in a 'docu-soap'. Much more true to life than 'The Full Monty'
Janita Dusbee
Since I was in Florence by the time I saw this movie, and since the walls of my hotel were not very thicker than 1 inch, and since my neihgbours were noisy beyond range, and since this was about the most boring movie I have ever seen, I can't imagine myself sleeping deeper than this. The Odeon Cinema in Florence has a really magnificent ceiling, the chairs are comfortable but their color is disgusting, and the Italian people surrounding me were very silent. The only thing making any sound at all were the people mumbling somethin on the screen (when you're Dutch, like I am, and haven't slept for days, it's really hard to understand.) By no means I feel the need to be rude, but I was waiting for someone to die for the entire time, and when it finally, finally happened, the movie ended.This could all have been an episode from a very dreadful soap, but you usually don't pay money to see soaps. Other images, like the ice-skating couple or the three-legged dog, are distracting. The only thing good about the movie, in my opinion, was the acting - everything BUT over-acted. But it actually ruins the film even more, since over-acting would have brought some suspense to the film. Yelling, crying, hugging, things that would ruin most movies I like, would actually have kept me really awake. THe only reason preventing me from complete relaxation, was the fact that I was the one who had to write a rapport about the film. In short: do not attempt to copy if you happen to be a film-maker. I heard on several occasions that Ken Loach's work is great, but after seeing this, I think I'll let the opportunity to see more of his work, pass.
AD
