British tough guys unite, and for once Guy Ritchie has nothing to do with it. "44 Inch Chest", from "Sexy Beast" writers Louis Mellis and David Scinto, boasts one of the best casts of the new year, with Tom Wilkinson, John Hurt, Ian McShane, and a very impressive Ray Winstone. And for much of it, that's exactly the point.
Winstone plays Colin, a hopeless-romantic plunged into depression once learning that his wife (Joanne Whalley) is having an affair. He rounds up his friends, Archie (Wilkinson), Meredith (McShane), Peanut (Hurt), and Cal (Stephen Dillane) and kidnaps her lover boy.
What follows is talky and stagey, but works if you're into tough guys dealing with sensitive issues of marriage and love to name a few. The dialogue is hilarious, expletive-filled, and at times kinda moving (a long speech about love given by Colin especially). And the real joy is watching these actors work together. John Hurt viciously growls his dialogue as the group's meanest and oldest. McShane is polished and soft-spoken as a single-life-loving homosexual. And Wilkinson, Dillane, and Whalley have less showy roles, but play them well. Unfortunately the second half drifts into a confusing bit of madness from Colin that gives the supporting cast little to do. But Winstone, going mano-e-mano with the mostly-silent lover boy, finds the tortured-soul inside this domineering tough and keeps you guessing how this all will end. Director Malcolm Venville creates suspense but can't overcome the condensed setting, no matter how many flashbacks or clips of old movies ("Samson and Delilah" plays into the film) he uses, and he fumble's the end's emotional climax, but top-notch actors make "Chest" worth seeing.
Winstone plays Colin, a hopeless-romantic plunged into depression once learning that his wife (Joanne Whalley) is having an affair. He rounds up his friends, Archie (Wilkinson), Meredith (McShane), Peanut (Hurt), and Cal (Stephen Dillane) and kidnaps her lover boy.
What follows is talky and stagey, but works if you're into tough guys dealing with sensitive issues of marriage and love to name a few. The dialogue is hilarious, expletive-filled, and at times kinda moving (a long speech about love given by Colin especially). And the real joy is watching these actors work together. John Hurt viciously growls his dialogue as the group's meanest and oldest. McShane is polished and soft-spoken as a single-life-loving homosexual. And Wilkinson, Dillane, and Whalley have less showy roles, but play them well. Unfortunately the second half drifts into a confusing bit of madness from Colin that gives the supporting cast little to do. But Winstone, going mano-e-mano with the mostly-silent lover boy, finds the tortured-soul inside this domineering tough and keeps you guessing how this all will end. Director Malcolm Venville creates suspense but can't overcome the condensed setting, no matter how many flashbacks or clips of old movies ("Samson and Delilah" plays into the film) he uses, and he fumble's the end's emotional climax, but top-notch actors make "Chest" worth seeing.