A slice of late '90s social realism from first time director Shane Meadows, A Room for Romeo Brass suffers from a weak narrative, being little more than a snapshot of the lives of several people living on a Northern housing estate; however, what it lacks in plot it makes up for somewhat in characterisation, with memorable turns from its talented cast of mostly unknowns, especially Paddy Considine, here making his feature debut. Considine plays twenty-something social misfit Morell, who saves twelve-year-olds Gavin 'Knock Knock' (Ben Marshall) and Romeo (Andrew Shim) from being beaten up. Morell befriends the boys, but after Gavin plays a cruel prank on the young man, embarrassing him in front of Romeo's sister Ladine (Vicky McClure), he starts to display psychotic tendencies.
Like a younger, more disturbed John Shuttleworth, Considine is both hilarious and scary, and steals every scene he is in. A disastrous date with Ladine, which culminates in Morell entering the room in a silk robe and proudly showing off the boner straining against his Y-fronts, is the perfect mix of humour and tension. What starts off as uncomfortably amusing ("I want you to touch it, touch it!") quickly turns sinister when Morell doesn't get what he wants. It's testament to Considine's confident, pitch-perfect performance that he is able to convincingly switch from pitiful to terrifying in the blink of an eye.
The excellent performances and very witty script ensure that the film isn't swamped by the mundanity of its kitchen sink drama (like so many boring Mike Leigh films). There are some terrific lines of dialogue to be had, many delivered in style by the youngest members of the cast (my favourite line from Romeo: "she stinks of p**s, has long gums and tiny teeth."). The film also benefits from an excellent soundtrack, with lots of great tunes, kicking off in fine style with A Message To You Rudy by The Specials, and closing with The Stone Roses. It's a shame then that the film didn't have a stronger story to tell, and that it ends on such a disappointing note: Morell, so amazingly dark and menacing, is given a quick hiding by Romeo's dad and is presumably never seen from again, and Gavin puts on a magic show, with Romeo dressed in drag as his assistant. Kinda lame, to be honest (I wanted Morell to do more damage before being handed his ass).
6.5/10, rounded up to 7 for IMDb. Good but not great.
If you haven't already seen them, watch Dead Man's Shoes (2004) and This Is England (2006), both of which show Meadows at his best.
Like a younger, more disturbed John Shuttleworth, Considine is both hilarious and scary, and steals every scene he is in. A disastrous date with Ladine, which culminates in Morell entering the room in a silk robe and proudly showing off the boner straining against his Y-fronts, is the perfect mix of humour and tension. What starts off as uncomfortably amusing ("I want you to touch it, touch it!") quickly turns sinister when Morell doesn't get what he wants. It's testament to Considine's confident, pitch-perfect performance that he is able to convincingly switch from pitiful to terrifying in the blink of an eye.
The excellent performances and very witty script ensure that the film isn't swamped by the mundanity of its kitchen sink drama (like so many boring Mike Leigh films). There are some terrific lines of dialogue to be had, many delivered in style by the youngest members of the cast (my favourite line from Romeo: "she stinks of p**s, has long gums and tiny teeth."). The film also benefits from an excellent soundtrack, with lots of great tunes, kicking off in fine style with A Message To You Rudy by The Specials, and closing with The Stone Roses. It's a shame then that the film didn't have a stronger story to tell, and that it ends on such a disappointing note: Morell, so amazingly dark and menacing, is given a quick hiding by Romeo's dad and is presumably never seen from again, and Gavin puts on a magic show, with Romeo dressed in drag as his assistant. Kinda lame, to be honest (I wanted Morell to do more damage before being handed his ass).
6.5/10, rounded up to 7 for IMDb. Good but not great.
If you haven't already seen them, watch Dead Man's Shoes (2004) and This Is England (2006), both of which show Meadows at his best.