44 Inch Chest (2009)

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  February 10, 2012

  76Majikat

  44 Inch Chest may have tried to take top position for the biggest amount of profanity in a film, which I'm sure makes up probably half the dialogue, not that I'm opposed to language of any kind if it works for the film, but does get a bit silly. On one hand you have a bunch of A... read morectors who have in the past provided us with some great performances, but the storyline is weak and you seem to be hoping all the way through that something more exciting will occur, it never does.

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  January 12, 2012

  bbcfloridabound

  You Brits can make some dicked up movies. 1 Stars Whats even more dicked up is I spent 1 hour 34 minutes watching it

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  January 10, 2012

  garyX

  When an East End villain's wife leaves him for another man, he and his crew of old lags kidnap her new beau and leave him to stew in his own fear while they decide on the appropriate punishment. 44 Inch Chest is a rather unusual affair in that although its subject matter is that ... read moreof the typical cockney gangster, it's a very wordy, character driven affair in which very little actually happens. It's essentially about a man whose self image is rooted in bare fisted, testosterone fuelled machismo coming to terms with rejection and loss. The story nearly in its entirety is set in the same room as as such feels very stagey; more often than not it looks more like the play for toady than a cinema going experience and anyone expecting gangster h- jinx in the vein of guy Ritchie will be very disappointed. Having said all that, the script is extremely well written with plenty of sharp, funny dialogue and the amazing cast give an acting masterclass. It's a shame the format is so limited but it's worth it for the performances alone.

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  July 19, 2011

  rezpatriot

  Rarely do I get bored of films, but this film dragged on way too long with too many "I was young once, and I am still hard!" jokes, script lines, and I just fast forwarded the movie to the end to remain pleasantly disapointed that I had not wasted my time watching the rest of the... read more movie without hurrying to the end.

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  April 16, 2011

  paulsandberg

  Taking a cue from Rod Serling: "Imagine if you will, you're a small time director of commercials. Somehow a film script by the same writing team that penned Sexy Beast comes across your radar. You pitch it and the studio says, 'sure, why not? Oh, and we've heard that the star o... read moref Sexy Beast is interested in doing this film as well." Said heavyweight Brit star tells you that a couple of his buddies, also heavyweight Brit stars, are also interested. So there you are, a total newcomer into the feature film business - handed a hot script and a cadre of top actors... this could only happen in.... The Twilight Zone."
  
  First time director Malcolm Venville was handed the reigns to 44 Inch Chest, and then given the assignment of directing such veteran actors as Ray Winstone, Ian McShane, Tom Wilkinson and John Hurt. I wonder if he ever yelled, "Cut! No, No, No, you've got it all wrong!" Not bloody likely - and that is part of the problem with the film (oh, there are many, unfortunately - overacting is only one of them).
  
  The film starts well enough, with a wonderful opening scene slowly panning through a smashed up room while Nilsson croons his hit "Without You". You are then slowly introduced to the characters, all part of some east end gang of sorts - the kind of guys who don't take kindly to losing... at anything. Until the point where the thugs hole up in an old tenement building, the film has a certain swagger and interesting charm. But then the script rapidly goes sideways, becoming a poor man's Mamet, full of crass language and bluster, while filling in a back story of a man, as Venville pointed out several times in the post production interview, "brought to his knees by the betrayal of love".
  
  Winstone, who I dearly admire, goes way over the top as the kneeler, almost to the point of farce. The script has him going quite insane, shown ham fistedly in a series of flashbacks and dream sequences that seem to come out of nowhere. All the while his cohorts keep on him to man up and get over it - while providing him the revenge vehicle to do so by kidnapping the man who cuckolded him. After over a half an hour of claustrophobic filming inside a single room, the crew then exits to the hallway (which is even more claustrophobic) so Winstone can get his revenge and then feel all better (or so they hope). The scenes of McShane, Wilkinson and Hurt, all huddling around the stairs in a tight hallway is simply patently absurd; as are the odd goings on inside the room with Winstone and the lothario. But it gets worse when the gang returns to the room and then Winstone's wife appears - making you wonder if this is yet another odd dream sequence - but no!
  
  The scene with the weepy Winstone and his wife (in a straight forward performance by Joanne Whalley) is simply odd. You have already seen the confrontation and discourse between the two in flashback, so when they again confront each other in real life they simply have nothing to say to each other. I suppose that the script's intention is to show a thug with a heart who can't get past the fact that, in the end, he is a thug - probably the most cliché characterization in film. Being told that he has been replaced by another is a blow to his pride, which somehow gets mixed into some vague feeling of a broken heart, so Winstone has to alternate between the two - bluster, curse and threaten, and then weep for forgiveness and wail for another chance. Yikes, it was like watching some soap opera melodrama - something that should be far beneath the talents of the actors involved.
  
  In the middle of all this you have Wilkinson playing the ageing voice of reason - a thug who still lives with his mum - the kindly sort who sees both sides of every story and therefore acts as a kind of moral compass... an oddity considering that the group intends for Winstone to kill his wife's lover - but regardless, Wilkinson plays this kind of vulnerable humane part very well. He is in direct contrast to Hurt who plays a blustering man who is bitter about growing old. He talks a good game, but the group knows he is way past being able to back it up. Still, it is a joy watching Hurt spit out the curse words as he rails against weakness.
  
  In between these extremes you have the suave homosexual as portrayed by McShane. One of the best parts of the film is a simple vignette that involves McShane gambling and taking advantage of some drunken rich guy... this has nothing whatsoever to do with the story, but is a joy to watch just the same. McShane fills the screen with an easy confidence and can express volumes by the raise of an eyebrow. You get the sense that he is a bit world weary, especially in witnessing the mess that Winstone created, but still seems to be holding out hope for something electric to come along and surprise him. Sadly the film isn't really about him, so all the potential goes unfulfilled. What you get instead is quasi and weak Tarantino, with extreme close-ups of Winstone not doing much of anything - as if in a state of shock - probably mimicking the audiences' reaction to the clumsy handling of a film which doesn't really say much of anything in the end, nor really resolve itself. Perhaps one might assume that the gang ultimately loses faith in their "strong man", and that he is now and forever will be adrift - but then again I might be reading more into the story than what is intended.

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  September 1, 2010

  allan913

  An intense and powerful thriller. A film that's as gritty, intense and rich as it is Shakespearic. It's sharp, ultra-dark, stylish and darkly funny. A rocking tour de force of an all-star cast that is absolutely incredible. Each one of these actors are truly at their finest. Ray ... read moreWinstone is magnificent, he gives a tortured, emotionally charged and explosive performance. John Hurt is darkly hilarious, a blisteringly brilliant performance. Ian McShane gives a sharp, charismatic and fantastic performance. Tom Wilkinson is terrific. A hard-boiled and electrifying film that's both bold and original. A knockout.

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  August 20, 2010

  SirPant

  A misunderstood masterpiece it seems. If you want to see a Mockney gangster 'Guy Richie' type film then look elsewhere! If you think the poster was misleading then you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover. 44 Inch Chest has one of the best written scripts to come along in ages an... read mored the performances by a Stella cast are just brilliant. I can't recommend this film enough and I'm astonished at so many of the bad reviews it's got here!

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  July 27, 2010

  Screeny

  With such a misleading trailer that made this movie look so good, this might just be the biggest dissapointment of the year. I mean, the cast was incredible. But, "44 Inch Chest" proves that a great cast doesn't mean a damn thing. The acting isn't the worst part of the movie, its... read more the script itself. Most of the film is pointless and it never really goes anywhere in its eighty-five minutes [not counting the credits]. Its just pointless talk that has nothing to do with the movie most of the time. Most scenes could've been cut from this movie and the sad thing is even with 70 percent pointless film the movie was still too short.
  
  [More will hopfully come]

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  July 18, 2010

  366weirdmovies

  Four men (presumably gangsters, though it's never made explicit) kidnap the lover of a cuckolded mate's wife and try to goad the bereaved man into killing him for revenge. A talky, dry satire on mob masculinity that feels like a one-act play with each character getting a moment ... read morein the spotlight; great performances by the principal cast but the script loses its way, and the ending won't satisfy anyone. Possibly worth it just for the brief glance of John Hurt in a black cocktail dress.

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  May 2, 2010

  sononothing

  Looking at 44 Inch Chest from the outside it seems to be a film with a lot to offer and the right cast to offer it. Look at the cast: Ray Winstone, Ian McShane, Tom Wilkinson, John Hurt.Come on, this thing has to be good, but what 44 Inch Chest represents is a reason why we can n... read moreot bank on the names on the poster or the cover. What you get is a hodge podge mixture of Glengarry Glen-Ross and Reservoir Dogs that is the cinematic equivalent to chocolate and ketchup mixed together.
  
  The plot follows Colin (Winstone) who is a blubbering mess, going over the edge after his wife tells him that it's over. His four friends, in an attempt to save their friend, decide to kidnap Colin's wife's lover and allow Colin to get his revenge and kill him. The film is basically set in a run down tenement with the characters bantering in guy speak while Colin contemplates how he's going finish the evening.
  
  This is a film with great acting and great actors. The problem is that the story is weak, no matter how well you act it out. When you go into 44 Inch Chest you expect a great ensemble cast with some very memorable moments between some of the greatest British actors of our time and you do get that when they're allowed to interact on screen and it's great, particularly the exchanges between McShane's homosexual character and Hurt's homophobic old man. The films problems, just like it's sister film Sexy Beast, occur in that third act. You see, we're privy to the Winstone character sniveling through most of the film at this point and when he's left alone in the room with the "Loverboy" it further perpetuates the pathetic existence that Colin has fallen to in his break up. Hey! We get it! Winstone, though a great actor, gets way too much screen time with this performance. Sure, I know he's upset, but a normal person would at least make some effort to bullshit me into believing that they are a little okay. Colin's constant crying is like being beaten with a hammer by the third act and we start to not care.
  
  I have to compare this film with Glen Garry Glen Ross. It's a group of great actors in close quarters spilling their guts on the screen. The big difference is that with the earlier film, by the end, I actually gave a damn about Jack Lemmon desperately trying to hold onto his job. I thought that Al Pacino should have won the Caddy. By the end of 44 Inch Chest I just want Winstone to either shoot the bastard or go home. I was tired with the character. That's the sad part about this film. There was so much potential and it worked, but crumbled under a script that tried to go a little too far. Death by excess.

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• Ray Winstone as Colin Diamond
• Ian McShane as Meredith
• John Hurt as Old Man Peanut
• Tom Wilkinson as Archie
• Stephen Dillane as Mal
• Melvil Poupaud as Loverboy
• Joanne Whalley as Liz Diamond
• Steven Berkoff as Tippi Gordon
• Edna Dore as Archie's Mum

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  The Veteran (100%)

• • Old Man Peanut: Absolutely brilliant. Should have got an award!

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  New Trailer For Ray Winstone's 44 Inch Chest

  Posted by Petes1234567
  2 years ago

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