While the draw for this British film will be the presence of the academy award-winning Judi Dench long before American audiences knew who she was (and most British people too), the real strength in this British crime-drama is the presence of Tom Bell as an ex-con open emulates himself into Dench's life while planning a crime. She has an illegitimate son he becomes drawn to, and the psychological issues of his character are revealed when he is surrounded by children.
Very dry in terms of structure and many of the performances and certainly with its script, you do get into this slowly as things about Bell are revealed. Dench is certainly stunning to look at, mainly recognizable for her voice, but it's obvious that she was pursuing more of a stage career than a film career. The focus on the British working class provide some interesting supporting characters, mainly by actors I've never heard of before. The dramatic build-up to the finale comes fast and furious and is a real nail-biter. Still some questions are left unanswered, but such is life.
Very dry in terms of structure and many of the performances and certainly with its script, you do get into this slowly as things about Bell are revealed. Dench is certainly stunning to look at, mainly recognizable for her voice, but it's obvious that she was pursuing more of a stage career than a film career. The focus on the British working class provide some interesting supporting characters, mainly by actors I've never heard of before. The dramatic build-up to the finale comes fast and furious and is a real nail-biter. Still some questions are left unanswered, but such is life.