The Official Word: Ray Winstone and friends behaving very badly in this powerful drama of a wronged husband trying to regain his self-respect.

Anyone inclined to bemoan the shocking behaviour of young people would be advised to take a look at 44 Inch Chest, which features some spectacularly foul mouthed and habitually violent behaviour from a group of men well beyond any flush of youth. This debut feature by Malcolm Venville from a script by Sexy Beast writers Louis Mellis and David Scinto is a powerful drama of a wronged husband trying to regain his self-respect.

Colin (Ray Winstone) is devastated when his wife announces she's leaving him for a younger man, and when we first meet him he is sprawled drunkenly amidst the wreckage of their final argument, as Nilsson's 'Without You' loops in the background. This virtuoso opening really sets the tone for what follows, aggressive and maudlin by turns.

Colin's motley crew of old friends (John Hurt, Ian McShane, Tom Wilkinson, Stephen Dillane) rally to his aid, though their plot to kidnap the lover and push Colin into taking revenge is misguided in conception and inept in execution. A provocative and darkly funny study of masculinity at its most troubling, 44 Inch Chest gives the actors full rein to explore the male ego pushed to its limits, and this wonderful ensemble certainly rise to the task.

Our Verdict: Don’t be fooled by the promise of ‘Sexy Beast part 2’, this is a very different film. Actually it was wishful thinking on our part; the film is never really sold as a sequel to the superb crime thriller from 2000. Instead you get a claustrophobic study of four past it likely lads (you are left to assume what they got up to in their heyday) helping their ‘mate’ the only way they know how.

It’s a slow burn and build up, with Ray Winstone giving one of his best performances to date. He is riddled with anger and frustration struggling to answer and come to terms with being dumped by his wife. His actions are extreme but for anyone who has suffered this type of loss they are understandable. The film is clearly written by someone who has lost someone and perhaps it’s written in the maelstrom of emotions making it hard for other people to connect.

The performances though help bridge that gap, with McShane and Hurt having a great time hamming it up throughout. Indeed the latter is almost unrecognizable as a grumpy old man who is homophobic and talks a good fight but rarely backing up his words. Mcshane gets to deliver a superb monologue midway through the film which is arguably as quotable as Ben Kingsley’s brash lines in Sexy Beast.

The language and pacing of the piece is excellent, and this only goes to show up the static action all the more. It feels ‘stagy’ and overall under whelms slightly as a film experience… but certainly worth catching for some great performances from some of Britain’s finest acting talents.

44 Inch Chest is released in January 2010

Rating: ***