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bob-158-706946's rating
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bob-158-706946's rating
I saw this movie on a wet Sunday in a movie theater in London. The cinema was packed, not because of the weather, but to see the second movie of 'boy wonder' Chris Presswell', a twenty five year old working class boy from Enfield who has got off the dole and become one of England's brightest young directors. Is the movie good? Yes, it is surprising good and reminds me of early Soderberg. Not everyone's taste, but there is a brain at work there pushing the audience to think about the story rather than the pizza they are going to have after the show. If you are a young filmmaker then you could learn from this guy who is an obvious fan of Hitchcock, but who also has integrity. Will Hollywood come and make this kid shoot bang-bang-you're-dead stuff for them? I hope not, and anyway, Chris Presswell already has his own ideas about how to kill people on screen. A good second movie for a kid from nowhere, I can't wait to see what he'll do with some real cash to spend.
This film has been doing the rounds for a few years now and had massive sales in Russia. It is the sequel to Winter Warrior but is less gritty. The Angle bad guys are more wimpy than in WW, but there are still some great moments - the coast and seascape scenes contain some very powerful images. The film has its flaws, its action is sporadic rather than sustained, there are no mass fight scenes, but it has an honesty of purpose, and a Christian streak running through it. The first film was made in response to the events of 9/11, with Bone Hunter as a follow up a year later. It is low budget British film making, but where the Celtic Warrior films have gone (includes the third film Axe Raiders), TV series like Outlander have followed, using many of the same ideas. The Bone Hunter and its two companion films remain the only British films to cover the arrival of the English raiders in the sixth century. That makes them interesting.
Emily Bergl has come a long way from Carrie 2. In I KNOW WHAT I'M DOING she still has her mischievous smile but she's now a grander lady, with grand notions of what she wants. She turns in a superb performance as June Bennett, the prissy American marrying a man twice her age in exchange for a life of convenience and comfort. However, she doesn't want a meal- ticket, she is still capable of doing a hard day's work, and she is no push over. To the English she is bossy and difficult, but in contrast, she manages to make the English appear stuffy and rigid. It is a good conflict that propels the movie along its quaint path. The support cast are all lovable, but it is Miss Bergl who steals the show with her splendid detachment that outdoes the English in arrogance. Very entertaining.