VHS : Face [1997]

Rating: - Yes its OK. But the story just gets sillier as it goes on.
This film has 3 parts. Part 1 very credible, very enjoyable. Part 2 not very plausible, but entertaining. Part 3 ridiculous action, plus ridiculous sentimentality.
HOWEVER, there is an array of excellent performances - with twitches of emotion - and eyes that show inner mind activity. Even those appearing briefly - like Jason's girlfriend - give their all. The facial close-ups show the turmoil and emotion within each character. Ray Winstone is excellent, so is Phil Davis (or Davies). Robert Carlyle's southern accent is just about acceptable, but he does well given his natural dialect.
The filming is very good. The music OK.
For Robert Carlyle fans, Looking after Jo Jo is better, made around the same time. It's plausible and gets across some good messages.

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Rating: - super viewing
JIM BOB, what the hell do you mean Robert Carlyle couldn't act his way out of a paper bag?!?! You are a complete idiot, have you actually seen ANYTHING he has been in??? (Cracker...The Full Monty...Angela's Ashes...TRAINSPOTTING...???) He is the finest actor of all time, and this certainly adds to his list of memorable performances.

This film is certainly worth a viewing, the acting is very strong, particularly in the case of Carlyle and Winstone, and also shown in Damon Albarn, with his acting debut! The tension builds up, and there is a satisfying tongue in cheek humour throughout the storyline. Overall, this is a Brit film with an satisfying plot, that should definitely be investigated into.

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Rating: - Awful, Terrible, I feel like I've been abused!
Having read some of the other reviews on here, all i can say is that some people need their heads examining - This film is awful. After the initial heist things go from bad to worse. Special mention must go to Robert Carlisle's fantastic Cockney accent, the Scottish lilt really adding to that feeling of realism! That guy couldn't act his way out of a wet paperbag!

I wasted a couple of hours of my life watching this garbage. Time I could've spent more productively gouging my own eyes out or watching paint dry.

The guy who looks like an English Gary Busey is also terrible in this film. Watch out for the bit when he gets called a nonce and goes ballistic in the police station - priceless!

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Rating: - Fun Film
Watch this film purely for laughs, and the crazy robbery and police shoot-out scenes.
Don't expect an 'in-depth' gangster movie.
You will enjoy Peter Vaughan's over the top character 'Julian', whose final demise is also amusing to watch.

Annoyingly, the robbery scene on the DVD copy is censored, removing much of the bad language, which becomes immediatley obvious if you have seen the un-censored VHS version.
The vocals are not edited particularly well.

However, a decent film worth watching.

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Rating: - Better than average gritty crime drama
Crime dramas are often disappointing in their lack of drama as in personal relationships. This drama has a crime plot and a portion of drama as above. The acting is better than competent.

The drama of a criminal who has a background of left-wing ideology and activism and who still has ties to that background is engaging. The crime plot is interesting but it does become a bit far-fetched past the half-way mark.

Better than average crime drama, but it is not 'The Godfather'.