44 INCH CHEST
/
2009
DIRECTOR: MALCOLM VENVILLE
CINEMATOGRAPHER: DANIEL LANDIN
WRITER: LOUIS MELLIS & DAVID SCINTO
BUDGET: ?
GROSS: $294,245 (worldwide)
When Colin finds out his wife has been unfaithful, his friends kidnap the wife's lover and hold him captive so that Colin can get his revenge. So is the story of 44 Inch Chest. The film stars Ray Winstone, John Hurt, Tom Wilkinson, Stephen Dillane and Ian McShane - and they are all in top form here.
There are flashbacks and some "dream" sequences, but other than that the film all takes place in, and just outside, the room where they are holding the wife's lover - who they refer to as loverboy. The film isn't based on a play, but it really feels like it could be in how simple the locations are and how wonderfully talky it is.
What was funny (not funny ha ha, but funny interesting), was that after having watched the movie I read what some critics had said about it at the time and two of the most popular negative comments towards the movie were that it was talky and stagey. Some even referred to it as, and I'm paraphrasing here: a group of brilliant actors trying to one-up each other, and an actor's workshop...
Do I disagree with those comments? Not really. The difference is that for me they didn't detract from my enjoyment of the film, nor did I see them as negatives that the film had to overcome. I really enjoyed watching these guys act and listening to them talk. And the script (from the same two guys who wrote Sexy Beast) is worth listening to.
It definitely wasn't perfect though. The dream/fantasy elements of the third act felt like they were a little out of place. I get why they were there, but it didn't completely work. I also read some complaints about the ending, but on that front I have to say I really appreciated it. Yes, it’s almost anti-climactic, but for me it was very satisfying as such.