I wasn't expecting too much from this offbeat comedy, especially as it takes a little while to get going, but was surprised at how good it was. This is thanks largely to the on-screen chemistry between Tim Roth and Tupac Shakur as a couple of drug addicts who decide to kick their habit when flatmate Thandie Newton nearly dies from an accidental overdose.
From such thin premises are great films sometimes crafted, the thinness of the plot meaning that the writers inevitably need to rely on characterisation to flesh things out. If they get it right they can create a classic, if they fail we can all end up watching an interminable mess. Here, Vondie Curtis-Hall does succeed in creating a couple of improbably likable anti-heroes in the form of Stretch (Roth) and Spoon (Shakur), while falling down a little in the realism of some of their decisions. It's nice, though, to see a film about characters like these which isn't downbeat and depressing. Despite their situation they each have an innate optimism and drive that is endearing even if it doesn't quite ring true.
From such thin premises are great films sometimes crafted, the thinness of the plot meaning that the writers inevitably need to rely on characterisation to flesh things out. If they get it right they can create a classic, if they fail we can all end up watching an interminable mess. Here, Vondie Curtis-Hall does succeed in creating a couple of improbably likable anti-heroes in the form of Stretch (Roth) and Spoon (Shakur), while falling down a little in the realism of some of their decisions. It's nice, though, to see a film about characters like these which isn't downbeat and depressing. Despite their situation they each have an innate optimism and drive that is endearing even if it doesn't quite ring true.