Hands up those of you who like swearing, drug abuse and obscene sexual encounters? Put your hands down if you prefer to be indulging in these pastimes instead of watching them. For those of you with your hand still raised stiffly in the air you need to watch Filth!
Starring James McAvoy as Police Officer Bruce Robertson, Filth delves into the psyche of immoral behaviour in order to achieve an overall goal. Christmas is approaching and Bruce and his colleagues (Jamie Bell, Imogen Poots, Emun Elliot, Gary Lewis) are all up for the promotion to Detective Inspector. Bruce believes he is the odds on favourite to win this position but his deeper insecurities may suggest otherwise. To be able to win this Bruce attempts to manipulate his way through the team, be it sleeping with a colleague's wife and blaming it on someone else or enticing homophobic officers to show their true colours. But is this behaviour due to his passion for the big time job or is Bruce really struggling with other aspects of his life? Other aspects that fill him with guilt, self-loathing and most importantly isolation.
Filth is billed as a comedy but only approach if you realise this comedy comes from crudity and vulgarity. The laughs stem from scenes where Bruce prank calls his friend's wife weekly for no other reason than for the sexual kick. He later meets her to promise he will catch the prankster only to suggest she plays along with the sexual fantasy in an attempt to scare them off. Of course we all know this is only for his own benefit but it is watching the different reaction from Bruce, his friend and the wife that raises the chuckle. The friend is played by Eddie Marsan and he alone brings the less obscene comedic moments. His dance routine whilst on a trip to Hamburg is to be admired as is his chat with Bruce about police oppression.
Marsan is fantastic in his role especially in the later scenes where he becomes the character you fully sympathise with. McAvoy's Bruce is expertly played but the character is one you will not like but one you will enjoy to watch. McAvoy plays completely against type but still brings many of his usual acting qualities. One thing that was familiar was his subtle look into the camera when he knows he has been unbelievably unlawful. This little technique could also be seen in Trance although with very different subtext. What works for McAvoy is his inability to let go of the reigns and really go for it and here he has done that so well. He even manages to bring an emotional side to Bruce as the truth slowly starts to be revealed and it will make an audience question whether you should be feeling sad for this character. This is completely down to McAvoy's acting ability as we can assure you Bruce is not a likable character.
The film draws comparisons to Trainspotting and that is because the script has been adapted from a novel written by the same author, Irvine Walsh. With Trainspotting Walsh's material was expertly handled by Danny Boyle and a fantastic film was born. New director Jon S. Baird can be praised as highly as Boyle for his adaptation here. He has taken on the writing mantle as well as the directing and what he has achieved is a solid film which is worth a watch. The film is nowhere near as good as Trainspotting but where Baird achieves such excellence is in bringing a book to the screen that involved imaginary tape worms and plenty of internal narrative. The book is not of a filmic mould but Baird has done incredibly well in making it so. Bruce's emotional journey is felt through his actions, dialogue and McAvoy's acting, whilst the obscure tapeworm hallucinations have been replaced with a doctor played by Jim Broadbent who seems to have an issue with saying 'yeeess' at the end of every sentence.
When you leave the cinema from this film you will struggle to decide if you actually liked it. Bruce isn't likable and some of the antics may offend so we would be surprised if many people will enjoy watching. Where this triumphs then is that it is a film to be admired. It brings an unlikeable protagonist and makes him magnetising to watch whilst making you chuckle in cringe worthy moments. This is one of those films best enjoyed with a beer or two.
Rating: 3 / 5
Directing: Baird has made conscious decisions that have translated the book to the film very well.
Acting: McAvoy's brilliant playing against type and Marsan brings a likable character to the film.
Script: From tough source material, Jon S. Baird produces a screenplay which fully does it justice.
Cinematography: The imagery resembles the title and brings out a shady side to Edinburgh.
Score: Goes slightly unnoticed due to the nature of the content but works all the same.
Editing: Moves the story along at pace.
Overall: McAvoy steals it as a character you love to watch. A good adaptation but won't be a classic.
Starring James McAvoy as Police Officer Bruce Robertson, Filth delves into the psyche of immoral behaviour in order to achieve an overall goal. Christmas is approaching and Bruce and his colleagues (Jamie Bell, Imogen Poots, Emun Elliot, Gary Lewis) are all up for the promotion to Detective Inspector. Bruce believes he is the odds on favourite to win this position but his deeper insecurities may suggest otherwise. To be able to win this Bruce attempts to manipulate his way through the team, be it sleeping with a colleague's wife and blaming it on someone else or enticing homophobic officers to show their true colours. But is this behaviour due to his passion for the big time job or is Bruce really struggling with other aspects of his life? Other aspects that fill him with guilt, self-loathing and most importantly isolation.
Filth is billed as a comedy but only approach if you realise this comedy comes from crudity and vulgarity. The laughs stem from scenes where Bruce prank calls his friend's wife weekly for no other reason than for the sexual kick. He later meets her to promise he will catch the prankster only to suggest she plays along with the sexual fantasy in an attempt to scare them off. Of course we all know this is only for his own benefit but it is watching the different reaction from Bruce, his friend and the wife that raises the chuckle. The friend is played by Eddie Marsan and he alone brings the less obscene comedic moments. His dance routine whilst on a trip to Hamburg is to be admired as is his chat with Bruce about police oppression.
Marsan is fantastic in his role especially in the later scenes where he becomes the character you fully sympathise with. McAvoy's Bruce is expertly played but the character is one you will not like but one you will enjoy to watch. McAvoy plays completely against type but still brings many of his usual acting qualities. One thing that was familiar was his subtle look into the camera when he knows he has been unbelievably unlawful. This little technique could also be seen in Trance although with very different subtext. What works for McAvoy is his inability to let go of the reigns and really go for it and here he has done that so well. He even manages to bring an emotional side to Bruce as the truth slowly starts to be revealed and it will make an audience question whether you should be feeling sad for this character. This is completely down to McAvoy's acting ability as we can assure you Bruce is not a likable character.
The film draws comparisons to Trainspotting and that is because the script has been adapted from a novel written by the same author, Irvine Walsh. With Trainspotting Walsh's material was expertly handled by Danny Boyle and a fantastic film was born. New director Jon S. Baird can be praised as highly as Boyle for his adaptation here. He has taken on the writing mantle as well as the directing and what he has achieved is a solid film which is worth a watch. The film is nowhere near as good as Trainspotting but where Baird achieves such excellence is in bringing a book to the screen that involved imaginary tape worms and plenty of internal narrative. The book is not of a filmic mould but Baird has done incredibly well in making it so. Bruce's emotional journey is felt through his actions, dialogue and McAvoy's acting, whilst the obscure tapeworm hallucinations have been replaced with a doctor played by Jim Broadbent who seems to have an issue with saying 'yeeess' at the end of every sentence.
When you leave the cinema from this film you will struggle to decide if you actually liked it. Bruce isn't likable and some of the antics may offend so we would be surprised if many people will enjoy watching. Where this triumphs then is that it is a film to be admired. It brings an unlikeable protagonist and makes him magnetising to watch whilst making you chuckle in cringe worthy moments. This is one of those films best enjoyed with a beer or two.
Rating: 3 / 5
Directing: Baird has made conscious decisions that have translated the book to the film very well.
Acting: McAvoy's brilliant playing against type and Marsan brings a likable character to the film.
Script: From tough source material, Jon S. Baird produces a screenplay which fully does it justice.
Cinematography: The imagery resembles the title and brings out a shady side to Edinburgh.
Score: Goes slightly unnoticed due to the nature of the content but works all the same.
Editing: Moves the story along at pace.
Overall: McAvoy steals it as a character you love to watch. A good adaptation but won't be a classic.