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Sadie Frost,
Sadie Frost,
Jude Law,
more...
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Paul W.S. Anderson,
Paul W.S. Anderson
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: 
: New Concorde
: Foreign, UK
: 88 min.
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This title is currently out of print.
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Though not as successful as Trainspotting (1996) or Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998), this high-energy, kinetic crime thriller belongs in the same British New Wave category as those later films. In a decaying British city of the near future, Billy (Jude Law) is an ex-con adrenaline junkie dating a Belfast native, the thrill-seeking Jo (Sadie Frost). Billy and Jo are the leaders of a teen gang of "ram-raiders," car thieves who jack an automobile, ram the vehicle through the front of a store, and steal whatever booty they can carry before the authorities arrive. A typical ram raid ends up in a high-speed pursuit by the police, which is all a part of the game for Billy, Jo, and their followers. However, a local drug lord, Tommy (Sean Pertwee) doesn't like the teen crooks infringing on his business. His opposition to their scheming leads to a deadly car race that plays out like a game of post-modern "chicken." Following the release of Shopping (1994), writer-director Paul Anderson went in a different direction than contemporaries Guy Ritchie and Danny Boyle, opting to create slick Hollywood science fiction films such as Mortal Kombat (1995), Event Horizon (1996), and Soldier (1998). ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
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| just hold on and have some fun
by auntie
December 14, 2003 - 7:30 AM PST
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6 out of 6 members found this review helpful
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| If you are considering this simply because it's Jude Law's first feature film or because it's an early pairing featuring him and Sadie Frost, I'd like you to please look at this movie from a different perspective. Director Paul Anderson wanted to bring the Hollywood action movie to Britain and also give his middle finger to Merchant/Ivory and their stranglehold on British indie films in the early 90's. He took some time old themes, threw in a dystopic five minutes from now near future, added a pumping and up to (the then) minute hip soundtrack, and blessed us with a remarkaby gifted and varied cast (some of whom got to learn stuntdriving). This was all before the release of Pulp Fiction, Trainspotting, or (dare I mention) Hackers. Just hold on, have some fun, and toss your snooty pretentions out the window while you're speeding backwards at 100 mph in a stolen car. Nice performances not only from Law and Frost but also from Sean Pertwee. Jonathan Pryce, and Marianne Faithfull just to name a few. Not too bad for a directorial debut made for only four milllion dollars. |
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GreenCine Member Rating
(Average 6.50)
14 Votes
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