This thriller might seem like some to be a simple remake of GET CARTER - but it's a lot more than that. Director Steven Soderbergh shoots his film in an unusual, unique way. Whereas most films follow a simple, chronologically-bound linear narrative (i.e. events happen after each other as time progresses), this film has scenes following a vaguely "diagonal" pattern - what I'm trying to say is that one scene plays out, then we have flashbacks and flash-forwards into the past and future, always going back to the same scene again. While this might sound confusing to watch, you get used to it quickly and realise how brilliant and disconcerting it is. Soderbergh also overlaps his dialogue from scene to scene which make the film even more interesting to watch.
While the plot is nothing new, the actors invest it with a real dynamite chemistry, a film to watch spellbound from start to finish. Terence Stamp is absolutely superb as the Cockney gangster, muttering rhyming slang and uttering such class lines as "Tell them I'm coming!", and gives a moving portrayal of a past-it hard man coming to terms with the cruel, modern world. We really get inside this guy's head. On the other hand, Peter Fonda is also good as Stamp's nemesis, a weak music producer hiding behind bodyguards and agents to protect himself. Barry Newman also pops up as Fonda's right-hand man to deliver a tough performance.
One classy scene has Stamp beaten to a pulp by thugs - only to return moments later to butcher them all in a bloody shootout. This is shot atypically from what you might expect by reading that description, as to add more impact the camera stays OUTSIDE the building while this happens! Other twists include a bodyguard being thrown over some railings in the background, whereas most flicks would shoot this in close-up. It's touches like these which help breathe new life into the stale thriller and make this instead an intelligent, thought-provoking drama. The only complaint I would have with this film is that it feels a little too short. Watch it and enjoy!
While the plot is nothing new, the actors invest it with a real dynamite chemistry, a film to watch spellbound from start to finish. Terence Stamp is absolutely superb as the Cockney gangster, muttering rhyming slang and uttering such class lines as "Tell them I'm coming!", and gives a moving portrayal of a past-it hard man coming to terms with the cruel, modern world. We really get inside this guy's head. On the other hand, Peter Fonda is also good as Stamp's nemesis, a weak music producer hiding behind bodyguards and agents to protect himself. Barry Newman also pops up as Fonda's right-hand man to deliver a tough performance.
One classy scene has Stamp beaten to a pulp by thugs - only to return moments later to butcher them all in a bloody shootout. This is shot atypically from what you might expect by reading that description, as to add more impact the camera stays OUTSIDE the building while this happens! Other twists include a bodyguard being thrown over some railings in the background, whereas most flicks would shoot this in close-up. It's touches like these which help breathe new life into the stale thriller and make this instead an intelligent, thought-provoking drama. The only complaint I would have with this film is that it feels a little too short. Watch it and enjoy!