"Cock & Bull Story" (it's now reverted to its original name) is based fairly closely on a fringe play of the same name.
The lead characters are afflicted with a degree of self-loathing that makes them victims of their own hatred. It's tough to sympathise with them. The only outlet they've managed to find for their emotional & sexual (self-)repression is extreme violence - both in the boxing ring and on the street. There is no happy ending in this film and, without giving too much away (of a denouement that's telegraphed about an hour before it arrives), it sticks with the 1960s tradition that the homosexuals have to either commit suicide, be murder victims, or end in some other unhappy way. I think this is meant to be a movie about repressed homosexuality, yet the only (fairly graphic) sex scene is straight. It's hard to work out who the film-makers want to see this film, or what their message is. It got a very, very muted reception at the London Lesbian & Gay Film Festival so I guess happy homosexuals aren't the target group.
Good points? Well, the establishing shots of a rundown city centre are well-done. And the two leading cast members seem pretty dedicated. Erm... that's about it.
Overall: not recommended unless you're a raging homophobe.
The lead characters are afflicted with a degree of self-loathing that makes them victims of their own hatred. It's tough to sympathise with them. The only outlet they've managed to find for their emotional & sexual (self-)repression is extreme violence - both in the boxing ring and on the street. There is no happy ending in this film and, without giving too much away (of a denouement that's telegraphed about an hour before it arrives), it sticks with the 1960s tradition that the homosexuals have to either commit suicide, be murder victims, or end in some other unhappy way. I think this is meant to be a movie about repressed homosexuality, yet the only (fairly graphic) sex scene is straight. It's hard to work out who the film-makers want to see this film, or what their message is. It got a very, very muted reception at the London Lesbian & Gay Film Festival so I guess happy homosexuals aren't the target group.
Good points? Well, the establishing shots of a rundown city centre are well-done. And the two leading cast members seem pretty dedicated. Erm... that's about it.
Overall: not recommended unless you're a raging homophobe.