Clubbed (2008)

People are voting emotionally.

Don't Believe the Hype

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning ** Sunday Night * Monday Morning Danny (Mel Raido) is a lonely factory worker who tries to get by with his job and to be a good dad to his two daughters after a messy divorce from their mother (Maxine Peake.) But after an altercation with said daughters present at a Working Men's Club, he uses a trip to their dance class to take a glance at Louis (Colin Salmon) and his gang of hard men who train in the boxing gym/free weights section there and to train himself into a tougher, more assertive person. Before long he's taken the philosophies of Louis to heart and has joined him as a nightclub doorman as the 80s disco faze kicks in...but when associate Sparky (Scott Williams) tries to do a sideline in drug dealing, everything turns pear shaped.As Robert De Niro once stated in the film A Bronx Tale 'there's no bigger tragedy than wasted talent.' The writer of Clubbed had a good idea and a talent to make it into some sort of film...but without the ability, it seems, to put it all together into some sort of coherent film.As a brummie, some of the filming locations (especially a scene at the end outside the Ring O' Bells pub in Moseley!) were quite easy and fun to spot...but the dour look of the cinematography is really a downer on things. Some really poor acting, for instance lead actor Raido with an indecipherable accent that's all over the place, and a hammy script with some misfiring dialogue are bigger problems for the film though. More established actors like Peake and even telly favourite Neil Morressey are sidelined to very small supporting parts, while the disastrous Raido and Ronnie Fox's lame villain take centre stage. Williams does a poor man's Sick Boy from Trainspotting impression, leaving Salmon and Shaun Parkes seemingly the only performers left with any integrity from the whole thing, as the excessive, blood splattered violence (becoming a common trend for Brit flicks!) takes over. Truly a missed opportunity. **

I went in to this movie with no expectations and came away happy. This is a story of love and devotion and doing what you feel is the right thing. The main actor reminded me of Bill Moseley visually. He is a dad just trying to do what it takes to keep his girls safe and loved. He decides to try boxing and from this, becomes a club bouncer with the man that is teaching him to fight. The other players at the club are also bouncers. There is a sense of family with all of these men but Sparky. With a baby on the way he makes some bad decisions in order to save money to provide for his family. There is a mobster and his guys involved and this is what complicates the relationships. The end of the movie was very heartwarming. It was nice to see a movie that left me feeling happy and remembering how important our loved ones are.

The promotions for "Clubbed" project a slick looking film based around the clubbing scene of the 1980's. What we end up with is a film with identity issues. The sub-plots end up taking over from what viewers would assume to be the main plot, so the focus on this film being mainly about "clubbing" ends up being left in the gutter.Boxing, depression, self-loathing, gangsters, bouncers and drug-deals, are all hastily crammed into 90 odd minutes. On no less than 4 occasions I had to check the run-time of the film, as the worry grew that this film was bound to disappoint.What club scenes we do see are bland and repetitive, featuring approximately 3 extras dancing in what is barely recognisable as a "club", hardly capturing the vibe of the day.If you're looking for a film about the 80's club scene, something along the lines of what "Human Traffic" did for the late 90's, forget "Clubbed".

Yes, I liked this movie, and maybe more so because it was British and a mighty welcome change from the guns packed Hollywood gangster flicks. This is the tale of a man with his heart on his sleeve but failing his life and thus gets involved in an ever increasing cycle of violence. It is relentless and tense from start to finish, with strong acting, likable characters and some clever twists. Also, the 80s atmosphere is very well rendered, the depiction of gritty cityscapes and torn families is actually...beautiful.I strongly recommend it, despite the graphic violence at times which may be disturbing if central to the plot, it has a more realistic and heartfelt touch than most of the movies I've seen.