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UncleBuckrules
Reviews
Blood Highway (2022)
Grim, realistic film, based on a true story
For those who remember older episodes of Casualty tv show on UK GOLD, which inspired the film, carries an added edge of realism. The setting - ordinary people pregnant Jenny, with boyfriend issues and her alchoholic dad trying to get to hospital during her labour, with audience knowing something bad is coming as they work out their issues, bad things happen then they realise there are bigger things to worry about and everyone gets along in the end.
The Hollywood view of England has been too long focused on the East End gangster movies- Snatch, Long Good Friday, Lock, Stock... where real movies are on ordinary people. This was a good attempt by DB Morgan as a feature debut, so hopefully a learnign experience for his next productions.
Interesting to note that several comments in the reviews of this superlative film concerned the unintelligible accent of Frank Jakeman. I should point out that viewers in the UK (and Holland and most Scandinavian countries) regularly enjoy American films without the aid of subtitles, so how come you find it so hard to understand us? :) We didn't complain that the cast of Donnie Brasco or Goodfellas had New York accents, so why complain that English men have English Accents.
April (2021)
A Small Movie That May Make Big Things Happen For the People Involved
April seems to be the beginning of a great career for Darren King. Not to anyone's surprise he does this with what he has been so potent with throughout his career; a British gangster film. If you've had any experience with King's movies you know exactly what you're getting into here, a topical thriller. This of course may seem problematic, in King's case it is not.
The writing and dialog are fast paced and quite entertaining to watch. The movie as a whole maybe be a bit of a head scratcher here and there but the pay off is good and the idea is a bit of a parody of itself which is what makes this film so fun.
What King accomplishes though, in the same way he has with his past successful productions is putting together an extremely diverse and yet correlating cast. This starts with the lead man in Neil Ward whose notoriety has steadily risen largely through his performances of caricatures (not an insult). With April, Ward seems to have found a role perfect for his appeal and charm he brings to the screen. This is largely because of a good script and great, fun performances all around.
Then of course there is Kiera Lane as April who until this year was largely a total unknown. While Neil Ward may have found a genre he is most strongly suited for, Kiera Lane could certainly use this as a great start to launch to the very least a respectable acting career. Her posture, range and ability to change tone and style subtly is something that should be and surely will be recognized.