Film Reviews by AH

This is an ingenious and very funny film. I've watched it three times now and it is definitely one of my all time favourites, though I feel it goes a little soggy towards the end. The narrative is supposedly inspired by Homer's Odyssey. It begins as a tale of three amigos who are joined midway by a fourth, but at the end of the film it seems to have morphed into a story about just one of the amigos – what's happened to the others? Arguably, the last few minutes are supposed to be some sort of tangential coda but I suspect that the concept hadn't been fully thought through. Nevertheless, it's very amusing: classic lines, memorable images, typically wacky Coen brothers' characters and a wonderfully earthy traditional country music soundtrack.

In short, this is a turkey. The racial stereotyping is disconcerting, the humour infantile and the frequent gratuitous use of obscene language repulsive. Tom Hanks's character is staggeringly unconvincing, almost a study in nafness. Come to think of it, none of the characters are particularly well done; the cat probably does as well as anyone else.

I recall watching the original Ealing Comedy version of the story but not well enough to say whether I found it particularly funny. The Coen brothers' remake certainly didn't make me laugh, but it did make me cringe. Critics biased in favour of every frame ever shot by the Coen brothers will no doubt say that my response proves the brilliance of the film. Perhaps it's a "Ladykillers for our time" or some such pretentious twaddle. Perhaps it's a virtuosic exercise in irony and I'm too dim to appreciate it. I haven't watched all the Coen brothers' films but I shouldn't be surprised if The Ladykillers is their worst. I sincerely hope so.

PS Oh yes, and the soundtrack/music is dreadful.

This is the ultimate heist movie. It scores five stars all the way. A brilliant piece of film making, set in 1950s Paris.

The ingenious plot trips along at a sprightly pace with never a dull moment. The characters are strong, convincing and well acted: even the little boy is brilliant. Unusually, the meticulously prepared robbery is shown in detail, in almost total silence. The violence is implicit but is always cleverly concealed. C'est magnifique.

This is one of those look-alike black-comedy heist flicks that celebrates bad behaviour. "Oh, come on, lighten up!", I hear you say, "It's only a movie!"

I'm not sure why there's so much demand for the glamorisation of violence in films. If this film was exceptionally well made and compelling in other aspects of its production one might argue that the violence is somehow justifiable, but actually this film has little going for it at all. The story told (a very unlikely one, bordering on the unfathomable) has very little in common with most peoples experience of life and unless one gets a kick out of watching people shoot at each other with handguns I'm not sure I can think of any reason why you would want to watch this film. What's so entertaining about people behaving badly with guns?

Bizarrely, Simon Callow appears in this production: goodness knows why. The scene in which he appears is entirely redundant; it conveys the impression that it's been spliced in from another film, possibly by accident. I expect we're supposed to find the sight of one of our leading thespians uttering foul language hilariously funny; a thirteen year old pleb might well do so, but I imagine most of us find this sort of thing tediously immature.

The action grinds to an almost-standstill halfway through before winding itself back into gear and finishing with yet another absurd shoot-out. The soundtrack is appropriately hideous. On the plus side, the film looks good and there are some comic moments; Phoebe Fox does especially well.

a waste of your valuable time a waste of your valuable time a waste of your valuable time a waste of your valuable time a waste of your valuable time a waste of your valuable time a waste of your valuable time a waste of your valuable time a waste of your valuable time a waste of your valuable time a waste of your valuable time a waste of your valuable time a waste of your valuable time a waste of your valuable time a waste of your valuable time

Ghastly, badly made, misanthropic, crass and not even remotely approaching funny. For Cinema Paradiso customers a complete waste of a rental. I'm giving it one star only because I can't give it minus 5.