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Cuthbert96
Reviews
Man Dancin' (2003)
A gritty British gem with rare uplifting qualities
Shortly before attending the English premiere of this film, I was apprehensive about how much I was going to enjoy it. Alex Ferns, known only to me as Trevor from Eastenders, didn't seem to be my cup of tea, and I feared the film would be pretty standard artsy, violent independent movie fare.
I was very wrong, and very pleasantly surprised by the film. The direction and the acting performances - most notably from Alex Ferns and James Cosmo - were top notch. The atmosphere of the film was realistic without seeming boring, and the story was very carefully told. I thought it took a while to get going and get to the real meat of the story, but once it did, the endearing characters and tense plot made it a really enjoyable movie. It manages to create several highly amusing scenes, and also some shocking or upsetting ones. I am very pleased to say that I was moved by the film.
I feel it's going to be one of those 'love it or hate it' movies. If you get it, then you're really going to enjoy it. If you don't get it, then it might just seem like another depressing urban gangster film. Personally, however, I found it to be both uplifting and memorable, and by the end of the film I was all to happy to eat my apprehensive words from before it began.
All in all, I give it 8 stars. Truly great cinema, definately worth a watch and a great addition to any collection of British films.