Going Off Big Time (2000) User Reviews

Great Crime Film

[ethos_leader · 7/10 · 20 July 2002]

*minor spoilers*

i rented this film out after having heard nothing about it, it just looked good. by god, i was right! this film is great! it had some very funny parts, some more serious parts and a cleverly crafted ending. i enjoyed the prison bit at the beggining of the film too, im into prison films. my mom liked this film too - she didnt want to rent it out at first, but by god she changed her mind ^_^ if you want a good nite with some popcorn this is the film - worth a rent out if not buy it

Good acting average plot

[richardstirling · 6/10 · 11 October 2020]

Typical story of a gangster who after going* to prison Learns that you have to get tough to get ahead! It kept me interested as I like gangster films (Hence 6 stars is probably generous) but the plot is basic and the film reeks of low budget from start to finish. Acting is pretty good especially from the main character. All in all worth a watch if you like violent films about gangsters from a Liverpool. I guess I do!

Great movie, sloppy ending

[DRaakje · 7/10 · 13 August 2001]

The movie is a nice piece of art. Original not boring. Until the ending of this movie i would give it a 9, but when i saw the ending, I changed into a 7. It left a bitter taste in my mouth...

Mummy the ice cream van is here!!!

[geordie_joe · 17 June 2004]

I am no critic and don't butter things up with long words i just burped up after swallowing a library full off dictionaries. So here goes, the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help me Bob.....

This has got to be one of the most overlooked gangster movies of all time. And why? I have no idea.... This has got to be one of those films you never here about ever, i quite happily could have gone along till the end of days, thinking that the best English gangster films are all based around nasty little cockneys. That was until my mate Ant said "have a butchers at this and tell me what you think". How wrong could i have been.

This film is based around a group of Scousers who start off in prison as nobodys and end up taking over the drug scene of Liverpool's clubland. This movie is very gritty at times, and shows the inside of prison from a frightened young mans perspective. The horrible reality of male sexual assault is very graphic and the issues surrounding it are quite disturbing, but don't let that put you off.

The other side of this movie is like a flip of a coin. From Drama and grit, a hilarious side spews fourth engulfing you in fits and spasms of uncontrolable laughter, that will make the neighbors think your completely off your box (watch out for the kidnapping story and the drug dealing ice cream van saga) Superb!!

I've watched the lock stocks, The Clockwork Oranges and the Gangster Number 1's and can easily say this is well up there with them.

If you love crime stories, watch this and you'll be soon walking around threatening people with a Scouse accent. (and there's nowt wrong with a scouse accent)

Thanx Ant

Enjoy =+)

Lots of heart

[noawareness · 7/10 · 20 January 2022]

It hasn't aged amazingly but I remember when this came out and I love it just as much as I did back then. It's well written and impressive for its budget. The pacing is perfect.

Liver Spots

[imccullo · 6/10 · 6 September 2023]

Many 'British' gangster movies come across as cripplingly self conscious and 'GOBT' is no exception. Why this perceived inadequacy should be the case is unclear, given a likeable cast, strong story line, convincing but never gratuitous violence and a decent script. I didn't think Neil Fitzmaurice would provide sufficient gravitas to his role as 'Mark' but he is convincing throughout as a man who becomes a gangster by accident rather than the rest of his dim-witted crew who epitomize opportunistic wannabes. That said, the message that ex cons cannot get jobs when released so are forced to revert back to crime is facile and just seems another lazy shuffle of the victim's own marked card. There are some very adept twists which keep the action moving forward but given the Scouse talent for coruscating sarcasm and that Fitzmaurice is a distinguished comic writer, some of the humour is rather lame and a big disappointment. Bernard Hill is excellent as wily jailbird Murray but Dominic Carter less so as the cretinous Ozzie, a Looney Tunes version of practically anyone below 'Thug # 4 in bar', from 'Rise of the Footsoldier' or 'Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels'. His burgeoning death-wish as evidenced by his mob slaying towards the end just doesn't convince on any appreciable level whatsoever. Bonus points for the film are earned by somehow casting Peter Kay as the Flipper character and you don't want to punch him into paralysis during his few seconds on screen.

Terrible

[boxbangboo · 2/10 · 19 December 2021]

There is very little to like about this film, the script is terrible and the acting is borderline school production!

Neil Fitzmaurice's acting makes this film terrible...get he hint? It's Terrible!

One of the worst films I have seen

[woodseal · 1/10 · 14 December 2021]

I cannot remember a film so astonishingly bad.

I tried to watch it all th way through, but gave up after an hour.

The direction is shocking. The script is awful. The acting atrocious.

I would imagine everyone involved with this film, would rather forget it was ever made.

Give this a wide berth.

Excellent British crime film

[Robin Kelly · 8/10 · 28 November 2000]

Having endured the horrors of the recent spate of cockney crime capers I had equally low expectations of this scouse crime caper but it proved to be one of the best British films of the year.

Neil Fitzmaurice's screenplay doesn't do anything radically different, let's be honest, but he manages to bring a fresh eye to a tired genre. The film follows the life of an innocent who is transformed by prison. This is told in a narrated flashback - and you even get flashbacks within flashbacks - which is difficult to pull off but somehow Fitzmaurice manages it. This framing device is usually a lazy way of keeping the audience interested during the boring bits but each section of the film is interesting in its own right and leads logically to the conclusion. Although there are a couple of plot contrivances I had to take with a pinch of salt there is nothing that damages the movie too much. While I'm sure authentic Liverpool gangsters would have spotted lots of mistakes, to a law-abiding citizen like myself it seems quite realistic. And the screenplay does a better job than most of marrying the comedy with the drama.

Fitzmaurice also acts in the film in the lead and that's probably the key to its success. All drama should begin with believable strong characters and while writers often overlook this, actors are less likely to. So Going Off Big Time has the treat of character motivations you understand and can follow without being annoyed. And actors also know how to write dialogue, which in this movie is excellent. The dialogue manages to be authentic without alienating those from outside Liverpool, which is always a help.

The original release date was September, about the same time as Snatch, but only arrives in my local multiplex in November. Timing is obviously everything and while they had bad luck with the theatrical release it should prove a video rental hit. While this was always going to be second best to Snatch, it isn't as far behind in quality as one might think.

Is realistic I guess.

[RatedVforVinny · 4/10 · 8 January 2019]

Have seen a good few, better examples in the Brit Gangster genre. The prison pert was more interesting than what transpires outside. Is low budget but fairly decent for the money (with a realistic vibe). Kind of hard to get excited about a movie, where so many previous and way superior efforts have been produced.

Another Brit gangster flick with a scouse flavour

[keenanchris · 29 November 2000]

This is another in the line of Brit gangster flicks that seem to be attracting backers money. To be honest, it doesn't add a lot to the genre apart from the fact it is set in Liverpool. Naturally this means that the script is given a scouse flavour and tinged with the humour that this city is renowned for. Some of it works, but other times it appears that what makes a good story in a pub doesn't quite transfer to the screen. I found it mildly amusing sometimes and other times cliched. The part with the bouncy castle should have left the laughter to the cinema audience and not the actors.

The main actors are believable as budding hoods and the scenes in the jail were well worked, albeit a little predictable. The story seemed competent till it got to the part where he met his girlfriend's father, I found this corny. Also I found it hard to believe that they would be so incensed by their arch rivals actions to react in such a heavy-handed manner, let alone kill him. Liverpool can be a tough city, but to execute someone for pouring a drink over you was a bit over the top. I felt overall that the script could have done with a more development before going into production.

Still, Going Off Big Time is worth seeing, especially if you have an affinity with Liverpool, and it was interesting to note that no one had a perm and a moustache and was drinking tea in times of crisis, which at least avoided one stereotype of the city.

Not as good as any of Guy Ritchie's, but still a credible addition to the Brit Gangster genre, which must surely be close to running its course.

Gone off

[leavymusic-2 · 4/10 · 19 November 2021]

Pretty awful attempt to make a gangster comedy, with little more than clinches one after another.

Poor script makes for a rather dull film, music wise it's a shame the production couldn't afford a few tracks of the day as using commissioned music for club scenes really doesn't work very well, overall it was doomed from the start. Just about managed to make it to the end and forget about it in 20 seconds.

Yawn

[samthejudgeamos · 4/10 · 10 December 2021]

The best I can say about it is that it was OK. Not a huge plot, probably realistic (not being an expert on prison life or gangster culture) so whilst it wasn't gripping, it was ok as a "whilst I am doing something else" film.

Mercifully short.

A Belter of a thriller.

[CharltonBoy · 8/10 · 25 May 2002]

Over the last 10 years there have many British crime movies , some fantastic and some not so good.Considering i had never heard of Going Of Big Time i was very impressed with the stylish thriller. Set in Liverpool we see the rise of a once innocent liverpudlian turn into a top gangster,which ultimately leads to disaster. I was i little weary of this when i saw it was set in Liverpool simply because there is no more irritating accent in the british Isles as the scally scouse accent and it can be very annoying. I'm please to say it is not the case in this movie. One thing i hate when reading reviews of British crime movies is that they always have to compare it to Lock,Stock and Two Smoking Barrels which is very unfair .That film is the bench mark and there has only been one film that has come close to matching it and that is the other Guy Ritchie film , Snatch. While this is no Lock, stock it is an above average thriller that will be enjoyed by anybody who loves the Genre. 8 out of 10

Gritty, flowing, highly watchable!

[empengi · 10/10 · 10 February 2009]

This film is a very welcome break from big-budget silly pseudo gangster nonsense like Rocknrolla or the usual vacuous Hollywood fare that we've come to expect. With a refreshingly understated narration by the ever impressive Neil Fitzmaurice, the film is mostly a flashback, which makes you want to keep watching until the whole thing is 'resolved'. Good performances all the way through, the low budget is not too apparent, and there are some very memorable scenes, without the film trying to hard to impress. I would say that this film is well worth adding to your collection, and it's even watchable with your girlfriend, as its strengths are in the plot and atmosphere, rather than macho antics or mindless violence. After it's over, you are left thinking about it, which doesn't always happen with this kind of production. SEE IT!

rubbish gangster flick

[nellyd23 · 23 November 2004]

Saw this film on late night TV the other night and was entranced by

its sheer awfulness. Alas it surely must be added to the future

cult movie genre 'bad British gangster films' .

Right from the word go it was terrible, the clichés coming thick and

fast. The strippers, the snorters, the shooters ('did you bring it ?'),

the pretty blond lawyer, the flashbacks, the jail, the bully, the wise

old con, the predatory homosexual, the fights, the rise to the top,

the gay crime lord, the thick coppers........it just went on and on... It

is a crime film where the writer has been influenced by the genre

rather than any real knowledge of - or insight into -criminal

behavior. The end result is a rubbish plot and bad dialogue. The title itself

is a clue. Very poor.