Directed by Stephen Frears. Starring Tim Roth, John Hurt, Terence Stamp, Laura del Sol, Bill Hunter, Fernando Rey. (R)
Two hitmen--a grizzled, controlled veteran (Hurt) and an impulsive, excitable rookie (Roth), naturally--travel to Spain to pick up a "supergrass" (Stamp) who testified against his criminal cohorts a decade earlier. Mannered but offbeat British crime drama favors neo-noir mood and philosophizing over intricate plotting and thrills. Characterizations are generous but subtle; performances on point, especially the two heavies. Some nice, surprising touches along the way, such as having Stamp act rather blasé, even agreeable, to being carted off to his death, though it does meander a bit at times. The routine violence of the climax and its aftermath is predictable, but one supposes that it was also rather inevitable. Title theme was written by Eric Clapton and Roger Waters; flamenco guitarist Paco de Lucia plays throughout. Big screen debut for Roth, and Frears' first feature since the early-70s.
71/100
Two hitmen--a grizzled, controlled veteran (Hurt) and an impulsive, excitable rookie (Roth), naturally--travel to Spain to pick up a "supergrass" (Stamp) who testified against his criminal cohorts a decade earlier. Mannered but offbeat British crime drama favors neo-noir mood and philosophizing over intricate plotting and thrills. Characterizations are generous but subtle; performances on point, especially the two heavies. Some nice, surprising touches along the way, such as having Stamp act rather blasé, even agreeable, to being carted off to his death, though it does meander a bit at times. The routine violence of the climax and its aftermath is predictable, but one supposes that it was also rather inevitable. Title theme was written by Eric Clapton and Roger Waters; flamenco guitarist Paco de Lucia plays throughout. Big screen debut for Roth, and Frears' first feature since the early-70s.
71/100