Naked (1993)

User Rating:

7.9/10   

Director:

Mike Leigh

Writer:

Mike Leigh (writer)

Release Date:

February 1994 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Comedy

Plot:

Johnny flees Manchester for London, to avoid a beating from the family of a girl he has raped. There he finds an old girlfriend...

Plot Keywords:

Drug | Manic Depression | Cruelty | Social Problem | Anger

Awards:

8 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

David Thewlis	...	Johnny
Lesley Sharp	...	Louise Clancy
Katrin Cartlidge	...	Sophie
Greg Cruttwell	...	Jeremy G. Smart
Claire Skinner	...	Sandra
Peter Wight	...	Brian
Ewen Bremner	...	Archie
Susan Vidler	...	Maggie
Deborah MacLaren	...	Woman in Window
Gina McKee	...	Cafe Girl
Carolina Giammetta	...	Masseuse
Elizabeth Berrington	...	Giselle
Darren Tunstall	...	Poster Man
Robert Putt	...	Chauffeur
Lynda Rooke	...	Victim

Also Known As:

Mike Leigh's Naked

Runtime:

131 min | South Korea:112 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Singapore:R21 | Iceland:16 | South Korea:18 (cut) | Australia:R | Finland:K-16 | France:-12 | Netherlands:16 | Norway:15 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:Unrated | Canada:R (Ontario)

Filming Locations:

London, England, UK

Company:

Thin Man Films

Trivia:

The script was largely created by improvisation during 11 weeks of rehearsal before shooting. The script was only 25 pages long.

Quotes:

[last lines]
Sandra: What is your problem?
Johnny: What's *your* problem?
Sandra: All these silly questions and...
Johnny: Well look - I've never met a nurse before and I'm just interested in, uh, well in life. I mean, do you think it's worth saving?
Sandra: Of course I do. But there is a time and a place and actually this isn't the time or...
Johnny: The place?
Sandra: No. And this is where I...
Johnny: Live?
Sandra: Yes, and I'm not feeling very...
[...]

Movie Connections:

References Psycho (1960)

Savage, Brutal, Brilliant.

There are precious few movies to which I would give a perfect rating and none so difficult to justify as Naked. Indeed, when I mention the depth of my appreciation for the film most who have seen it tend to reel in horror whilst deriding its unpleasantness...

So how do I justify it? I could witter on about the brilliance of David Thewlis' performance, the excellent support cast, the devastatingly witty dialogue and Leigh's assured direction until the cows came home, but this still wouldn't totally do it. I can't say a lot about the plot because, well, there isn't a great deal of plot to speak of. So what is it?

I'll tell you what it is: it's the honesty of it. The brutal, searing, sickening honesty. Here is a film unafraid to hold a mirror up to the dark, venal, destructive underbelly of our society - a film that portrays relentlessly and unflinchingly a side of our character which we'd prefer to simply sweep under the carpet. It takes everything that is immoral, degenerate and depraved in modern society and smears it all over the screen in a grubby orgy of loathing. It is not simply a movie with teeth but one with rabid, venomous, acid-tipped fangs, tearing and gnashing at our pompous ideas about our own natures.

There are many movies which are fantastically enjoyable and make for a sterling night out with friends and family. This is not one of them. Naked is disturbing, unpleasant, frightening and utterly bleak. It is also quite brilliant.