FILM-FORWARD.COMReviews of Recent Independent, Foreign, & Documentary Films in Theaters and DVD/Home Video
LAWLESS HEART
One of the best acted finds of the year, this
film of reconciliation is a compassionate
and compelling portrayal of a small isolated English seaside town (shot on the Isle of Man) where for the have
and have-nots, the used and the users, life
has become narrow and constricted. The
same events are depicted three times, each
version centered around a different man:
Dan (Nighy), a haughty family man with a
wandering eye but too frightened to act;
Nick (Hollander) whose lover, Stuart, has
recently died in an accident; and Tim
(Henshall), the opportunistic prodigal son
and Stuart’s cousin, who returns home after eight years for Stuart’s funeral. According to Stuart’s will, his estate should go to
his sister Judy (Haddington), Dan’s judgmental wife,
even though she feels Nick should have
the money while Dan doesn’t believe that
the mens’ relationship qualified as a marriage. Nick hopes Judy will give him the money so he can return to London, and
Tim, shaggy haired, wide-eyed, and constantly upbeat, also has a need to score
some money. Thrown into this mix is a
scene-stealing aging and needy party girl,
Charlie (Smith), whom Nick discovers unconscious in his bed after Tim, his erstwhile roomate, has thrown a wild party,
and Leah (Butler), a woman with a past whom Tim
pursues. What none of the characters (and
the audience) expect are the surprising
changes of heart that they experience during the course of this briskly paced, funny,
and engrossing movie. Eventually, pieces
in this convoluted, but clearly told, mosaic
fall into place. Directors Hunsinger and
Hunter have an eye for telling the story visually, as well as for writing smart and
thoughtful dialogue. And each actor maintains a high caliber performance. Absorbed in his own moral dilemma, Dan
brilliantly dismisses Nick. Henshall, as the
boy who won’t grow up, is both ingratiating and repelling. Even characters with
small screen time are instantly fleshed out as real people. An exciting introduction to a talented British ensemble
largely unknown in the U.S.
KT
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