Comes a Bright Day (2012) User Reviews

Emotionally Intricate and Quirky Hostage Film

[film_ophile · 7/10 · 15 December 2012]

I wouldn't use any extreme words to describe this film. It's not 'fantastic' or 'hysterical' or 'must see'. But it is interesting and unusual.The story of a jewelry heist gone very wrong and the three hostages awaiting resolution in the rarefied atmosphere of an elite London antique jewelry shop , it is fairly quiet, reserved,occasionally funny ;and occasionally jolting, stressful,violent.Except for a few scenes, it all takes place in one interior ,so it feels very much like a play.

I wasn't familiar with any of the actors except my hero, Timothy Spall, but they were all spot on.And it was very interesting to me that the five main actors all pretty much had equal time. There was no one person that 'made the picture.' For me, the story and the characters all felt very authentic and believable, and the pace never felt lagging or forced. The unexpected elements were the romantic interludes- a grief struck gentleman remembering the love of his life,a fairy tale-like story told to distract a worried hostage; a psychopath mesmerized by an opera aria; and they all contributed to making a heist/hostage film something quite different and out of the ordinary.I really enjoyed it.

A very mixed bag--great cast, mixed writing, wobbly story, great ending

[secondtake · 6/10 · 15 April 2013]

Comes a Bright Day (2012)

Give this a chance. It starts oddly, and there a couple of actors who give pretty thin performances in the opening scenes. But eventually you'll end up in the main situation of the movie, which I hate to even say. For now, there is a small group of people trapped together and in the process of figuring out what to do, a romance is born. It's all so unlikely and yet so warmly believable--the romance part of it the story--you end up glad you made it to the end.

Along the way there is a mix of storytelling and desperate thuggery. It's a bit contrived and in a way unlikely, but you end up focussing on the people and their characters more than the larger plot. This is where is shines.

The director, Simon Aboud, has a short history and it shows here. (From his web site he also fancies himself a contemporary photographer, but his work is wobbly there, too.) In the movie, something doesn't click as it goes. The story, too, is oddly one-dimensional despite the characters being so full-blooded. And there are moments of really high drama (with the police) that are mere glances in the movie (probably to avoid distracting us) and moments of tenderness that are too few.

The cast saves the film. Most interesting might be the quirky main character, played by Craig Roberts, who has mostly television behind him but who is just coming of age as an adult actor. His love interest is played by Imogen Poots, who is a more established young actress and who is clearly good, in fact probably better than the director realized because she doesn't always penetrate except by being likable.

Not Craig Roberts best performance

[eeriechills · 5/10 · 26 August 2021]

Not Craig Roberts best performance in my opinion. Very wooden and stiff acting by him sadly. Just seemed very inexperienced. Otherwise an ok film with some decent acting but could've been more storyline. Ran a bit bland for some of it.

Brit heist flick... (spoilers)

[ksf-2 · 7/10 · 1 March 2014]

spoilers - I got this as a recommendation after watching "Robot & Frank" on netflix.... not sure why... maybe because they both involve theft?? In our story, Sam, the bellhop (Craig Roberts) goes into a jewelry store, after meeting a cute girl Mary (Imogen Poots), and gets caught up in a heist. The jewelry story owner or manager is a big, blustery, blowhard, and I'm amazed that they didn't blow him away; he keeps yelling at the holdup guys, but they had no trouble killing a little old lady who was standing in the store at the time. One of the crooks has a terrible stutter, so he should be no problem to identify at some point. To make him even more quirky, the facemask which he wears has a virgin mary in the center, which the camera lingers on, now & then. A standout here is the sandwich shop clerk, played by Anthony Welsh. He has a smallish role, but carries it off well. The film is OK.... The hostages talk with each other, and with the inept crooks, at one point to stop them from possibly raping one of the hostages. Not the best film I've watched, but not the worst. Lots of talking, some shooting. Ordering food. The jewelry store owner/manager switches from insulting the bellhop to praising him pretty quickly. Then it all hits the fan, the big adventure is over, and they talk a lot about their future plans and dreams for people who were just facing death a few minutes before.

Good, but....

[g-hbe · 7/10 · 5 March 2022]

I can see why most US reviewers don't much like this film. It's a 'small' tale and very English, with the actors' performances quite reserved. American viewers would probably like a bit more action and expression. Although the plot concerns a raid on a high-class jeweller, there is another story about friendship, ambition and bravery among the hostages which only comes to the fore near the end. The one BIG irritation in this movie is Craig Roberts (playing Sam Smith) who has a tendency to speak very quickly and down his nose, leading to indistinct dialogue. I missed about 75% of what he was saying because of this. Otherwise it's a good - not great - film, with Timothy Spall doing most of the work.

Awful, Pretentious, Boring...

[opticoax · 1/10 · 17 December 2016]

Want to watch characters have pretentious boring loooooong conversations about nothing while pianos or violins play in the background....then this is your movie.

Its not a heist film...as a matter of fact its a nothing film....

And tied up with a ridiculous deus ex machina ending that makes it even more ridiculous.

Don't watch

The psycho spends long periods just staring into mirrors and suddenly falls in love with the female lead.

The old man boffs off bumpersticker philosophy like "you need to figure out what u want".

Characters are beaten bloody, but still sitting around eating with faces caked with dried blood.

And top it off with telling long boring maudlin stories that are supposed to be deep

I like crime movies, but this is My Dinner with Andre with a hostage situation as backdrop....snore

Terrible film.

[darrell-23715 · 2/10 · 11 June 2022]

Sorry but this had the making of a good film but after 10 minutes it was seriously lacking anything good.

Imogen is ok, not her best role and the rest have been very badly cast.

Don't waste your time, Iike I did...!

Good solid British Fare

[footpad2010 · 8/10 · 28 February 2013]

The imbalance caused by the reviewer from New york is a shame. He talks about IQ over 70, but he obviously didn't understand this movie. It is robust and well acted and there certainly is chemistry between the leads. Don't be put off by this American misery. Well worth your time! By the way I have an IQ of 149 and couldn't fault it.The pace is consistent, the locations are excellent, and any appearance by Timothy Spall is a bonus. I feel the Brits do this sort of caper far better than Hollywood, especially considering the low budget, you don't need bucket loads of cash thrown at a project to make sure it's good, or a "star name". Let's appreciate it for what it is and leave the criticism for those megabucks movies from USA that leave you cold, and waste your time!

About as bad as it gets

[tkell31 · 1/10 · 17 December 2012]

I suppose this qualifies as a movie, but as for any redeeming qualities it doesn't have any unless you consider the music playing throughout. Two bungling crooks set out to rob a jewelry store and must have decided murder was a good addition to their plan since they kill a customer 20 seconds into the robbery. A hostage setting ensues and then complete boredom and ridiculous dialogue follow.

After watching this I convinced the writer and director realized they were in a quagmire 10 minutes in, but just decided to plug away absent a plan. It doesn't help that Roberts and Poots have no chemistry at all, and the sequence of events makes no sense in relation to what has gone on before. Poots is essentially cast as the beautiful girl who has been hurt before. Roberts as the love sick puppy with no courage other than to stand up for this girl he just met. Throw in the defiant store manager and the two bumbling crooks and everything goes according to script. Pretty comical really.

All in all a dreadful mess that forces events to happen for purposes of moving the train wreck forward, but anyone with an IQ over 70 will realize it is forced. If I found out they made this with no script and in one afternoon I would not be surprised.

Truly Stupefying

[dylanppratt · 1/10 · 1 June 2021]

There is a scene in 1991's Addam's Family where Pugsley and Wednesday, with the help of their Uncle Fester, punch up a school play in much-need of some excitement.

Their neighbor, Judge George Womack, is in attendance and experiences a range of emotions brought on by the Addams' creative liberties.

For Comes A Bright Day, you, dear viewer, are Judge George Womack. Your mouth will twitch in delight as the exposition develops. To have made it to this film, you've been on the hunt for days, possibly weeks, for something to watch. You will naturally feel the excitement of your grinding and research leading to the uncovering of something with great promise.

Unfortunately, as writer/director begins to take creative liberties with his story, your twitch of delight will slowly give way to a tic of horror, as you find you are locked into a front row seat for a spewing of boredom and mystifying plot and character direction.

It is truly a wonder that any of the recognizable faces in this film were able to continue with their careers after a film like this. Remember, actors are given the script before they are pressed for a decision on a role.

As dredging up past deeds in order to cancel future ones has become en vogue, I fear for each of these actor and actress's careers, as if anyone discovers this film, the cries for cancelation will be overwhelming.

The Brits do it again

[paul-297-857364 · 8/10 · 20 February 2012]

This is a film I've been tracking for a while through develoment as it has some quality throughout the production and acting teams. I have to say the team have done a great job of blending romantic comedy with adventure action - finally, a movie that has something for me and the lady in my life...It reminds me of the classic London BritFlick films such as LockStock but less comedic and updated to feel more realistic. London looks beautiful, the cast are beautiful and the script beautifully written. It twists and turns and in some places isn't fully explained - but I'm not sure that's a negative - more a sign of a robust storyteller at work. I'd like to know more about the team behind this as it is shot in a unique way that adds to the 'new feel' of the film. It also reminds me just how stunning the city is as a backdrop for such fim making.

Fantastic movie, fantastic acting!

[milkywaybieber · 8/10 · 8 December 2012]

I couldn't believe that there weren't many reviews for this movie because i think it is underrated. The acting from Craig Roberts & Imogen Poots was spot on. I couldn't think of anyone better to play the roles of Sam and Mary. Sam's slightly shy but slick personality is brilliantly portrayed by Craig Roberts as in 'Submarine', where he plays a similar awkward, shy character. Comes a bright day has a very good storyline to it as it never got boring and I wanted to keep watching. There is a comical aspect to this movie but isn't overpowering. I can't wait to watch it again, the type of movie you just need to watch to know what it's all about, a must see!

A cracking movie.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 9/10 · 18 October 2015]

I have to say I absolutely loved this movie. It's a huge mix, hostage thriller, crime caper, love story, rom com. It really is a mixed bag, bu the brilliant performances and the engaging story manage to bind the elements together, making it a very engaging and rather deep film. Some nice bits of humour, I love the names of the thieves, Cameron and Clegg, there's a message in there somewhere (they robbed us all didn't they?)

I was so engrossed in the film it took me over half an hour to realise that Cameron was played by Kevin McKidd, I literally didn't recognise him. Josef Altin is hilariously funny as Clegg, hobbling about, he had some great one liners. No need to comment how impressive Poots and Spall are, both are just brilliant, but it's young Craig Roberts once again that impresses, he is a very refreshing actor, and somehow different.

Great ending, so in keeping with the tone of the film.

Great use of classical music in the film, it added something to the film, especially the beautiful rendition of Lakme.

I loved it. 9/10

What a journey

[mrbear1979 · 10/10 · 9 October 2016]

I watched the film this morning and was really rather surprised by the negative comments. I will admit that the plot feels like it meanders somewhat, and it is simplistic in nature. However, it is an incredibly thought provoking film that really demonstrates how assumptions are not always true. I will not spoil the plot, but the characters in the movie all have tremendous depth apart from the main villain. But the main villain's shallow character allows the watcher to think how they will about him.

I was absorbed in it utterly and really feel this is an undiscovered gem of a film. The behaviours are quintessentially British and show real resolve under stress.

It could make a marvellous stage play I think, if it hasn't been there already.

To those who didn't enjoy it, you are welcome to your opinion, but it is clear to me that you probably struggle to understand British culture and that will have led you to misunderstand this film.

A great discovery

[duncansykora · 9/10 · 24 December 2021]

After watching this surprising little discovery on netflix l was a bit shocked to see some of the negative reviews on here. I think the problem is some viewers have come to this movie with the preconception that it's a mindless heist/hostage film...it is not! Quintessentially British, in a good way... this film has heart, a great soundtrack and an unusual, but warm tone. Come to it with an open mind and no preconceptions. Absolutely worth a watch.

A gem

[eshmana · 8/10 · 12 December 2021]

One of those quiet, overlooked, films that the British do so well. It has its flaws but they're more than made up for with the script, acting, direction, and quirky romance. It's slow-moving, violent, touching, and intelligent. Perfect for a quiet night in.