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Best Laid Plans (2011)

Director: David Blair

Time Out rating

Average user rating

3 reviews

Synopsis

British crime saga from Bafta- and Emmy-winning TV director David Blair.

Movie review

From Time Out London

John Steinbeck’s ‘Of Mice and Men’ is the loose inspiration for this down-and-dirty British drama. Broken and unhappy Danny (Stephen Graham) is friend, flatmate and sort-of carer to gentle giant Joseph (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje), who has a mental age of seven. When Danny’s drug debts spiral out of control, he reluctantly hires out Joseph as a bare-knuckle boxer.

The fights take a back seat to the character drama as Danny struggles with addiction and guilt, while Joseph attempts a relationship with Isabel (Maxine Peake), a woman with learning difficulties. It’s a compelling set-up with strong performances from all, including Emma Stansfield as prostitute Lisa – even if her interest in Danny is as unlikely as the meeting of Joseph and Isabel. The female characters are certainly sketchier than the male ones, with Graham’s tortured soul at centre stage. This might be uneven, but it’s well filmed, with a clutch of affecting scenes – a more thoughtful affair than your average Brit fight flick.

Author: Anna Smith

Time Out London Issue 2163: Feb 2-8, 2012

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User reviews of this film

Bexy said...

Posted on Feb 21 2012 13:48 I was truly surprised with this film, as I thought it would just be another low rent brit gangsta movie - however it was absolutely brilliant - they couldn't have found better actors for each of the roles. The film evoked tears, laughter and even anger at points. A definite must see, and well deserves more stars than Time Out has given!

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Al Vincento said...

Posted on Feb 09 2012 21:04 Having watched the trailer I got the impression the film would be dominated by just brutal cage fighting but I took a punt as I was interested in the connection with Steinbeck’s “Of Mice and Men”. In the event the total cage fighting time was perhaps no more than 5/6 minutes over the duration of the film but it is integral to the anguish that Danny (Stephen Graham) experiences in his relationship with Joseph as one short fight follows another. Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje does an impressive job of tackling the potentially very sensitive part of a vulnerable and challenged adult with a mental age of a young child. The development of the closer relationship between Danny and the hooker played Emma Stansfield is a good supporting and at time humorous theme running alongside the increasing more fraught relationship between Danny and Joseph. Maxine Peak’s role as Isobel, Joseph’s equally challenged girlfriend, is also played with great sensitivity. David O’Hara as Curtis the gangster is really scary. As bit of a wrinkly now I hoped this was not going to be just the violent and shoot’em stuff suggested by the trailer and it wasn’t . Instead I saw a film that generated a range of emotions and the way the film concludes on the snowy coast of Ireland is in stark contrast to the shabby environment that characterises Danny’s living place and is brilliantly directed.

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RICO said...

Posted on Jan 22 2012 00:08 I was lucky enough to see the film, really loved Stephen Graham playing "Danny" he delivers every time and Adewele achieves a compelling performance as "Joseph" one to watch and good to see lower budget British films getting the publicity

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