| Perrier's Bounty | |
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We open with waster Michael McCrae (Cillia Murphy) asleep on the floor. Munching pistachios ominously over his sleeping form are two bruisers. The rudely awaken McCrae and remind him that if he doesn't have the money he owes Darren Perrier by the end of the day, they'll have his legs. It's a classic opening gambit that gives us some impetus with very little effort. What happens thenceforth is standard race against time to gather the necessary funds to save his precious limbs. Of course, if it remained quite so simple we'd hardly have a film. So thrown in to spice things up a bit are McCrea's long-term friend/love interest Brenda (Jodie Whittaker) who is currently suicidal after her recent split with her boyfriend, and his father Jim (Jim Broadbent) who turns up out of the blue to announce that he has had a vision of the grim reaper and will be die when he next falls asleep. Together the befuddled trio blunder through a series of madcap schemes to find the money. As you might expect, things don't go smoothly and a few nice little twists that throw a spanner in the works, as well as introduce an array of subsidiary characters ranging from dog-fancying thugs to drug dealers, and petty crooks to big time gangsters. There's so much thrown in there that there's no time to question the logic of anything that goes on, all you can do is sit back and enjoy the ride. And it's not a bad ride at all. With an impressive ensemble cast that includes both Cillian Murphy and Jim  Broadbent, the film automatically wins a bit of credibility. Cillian Murphy does pretty well at conveying some coolness in the midst of the mayhem that surrounds him, and even manages some impressive action moves in the mix. He's less good at the playful banter, but with Jim Broadbent blundering along beside him there's enough comic relief to supplement the silliness of the situation (not least from a questionable Irish accent on the part of Mr. Broadbent).If all you want is a bit of light entertainment that'll keep you interested and provide a few laughs here and there, you could do worse than this. There's no pretensions beyond its station, no unnecessarily complex under(or over)tones, but there's nothing especially exciting or new. Rating: ** Starring: Cillian Murphy, Jim Broadbent, Brendan Gleeson, Jodie Whittaker Director: Ian Fitzgibbon Run time: 88 mins Certificate: UK 15 | Ireland 16 Release date: 26th March 2010 Review by Michael Edwards
For a more exciting comedy/action romp, it's be negligent of me not to point you to Kick-Ass. Also worth considering is From Paris With Love, although I may be alone in thinking that's so bad it's good... |
Part Guy Ritchie gangster thriller part Big-Lebowski-esque romp, Perrier's Bounty is an odd film that tries to please in a lot of different ways; there are chase scenes, shoot outs, bantering dialogue scenes and surreal stand-offs aplenty. Together this mish-mash of cinematic stylings produces something that, although a little crazy, isn't half bad.
