The Pass (2016)

Nice effects though.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

This movie may not be the first to present what many professional athletes chose to do when faced with the decision of career or sexual orientation. However, it sure was the first to showcase in such great detail the amazing performance by Russell Tovey. I knew Tovey could act but I really think this was without doubt his best performance to date by miles. Many people complain that the movie is too slow but I found it perfectly paced.

Russell Tovey plays Jason who is with his team mate Ade (Arinze Kene) in a hotel room in Romania on the night before a big game. They spend the night talking of dreams, the chances they may take and horsing around just this side of being overtly homoerotic.The air is crackling with sexual tension and then the story moves on into the future and that is where it gets very interesting and quite deep. To say more would ruin the plot. Now this is essentially a play in three acts and it could easily be staged. The cast is minimal and that means that everyone has to be on top form and they all are. Tovey has to carry most scenes but he is ably supported by the others involved.This is a gay based film but it is not a bedroom fest but does feature a fair bit of nakedness but not the Full Monty type either. This is a film for those who like a very human story and have an interest in why so few football professional players have ever come out of the very packed footie closet.

I almost skipped this film due to some bad reviews I read about it, and therefore was surprised to find that it is quite enjoyable and interesting. Acting is great, especially Tovey Russel's performance which I found excellent in spite of a somewhat exaggerated character script. I admit the subject treatment is a bit outdated, and the script is more suitable for chamber theater than for a film. But still, this is a very good gay flick.

I enjoyed this film immensely. It struck me as a modern version of the rugby classic This Sporting Life. But instead of Richard Harris raging at Rachel Roberts and all his demons and inexplicable anguish we have Russell Tovey doing likewise albeit with a gay twist. But actually this film is far more about power and the ability to use it, rather than sex or sexuality. Tovey can buy what he wants since he's a rich footballer whether it be a car, luxury flat or prostitute. But being able to buy what you want only leads, for him, to an empty life devoid of meaning. His footballing mate becomes an ordinary working man with meaning and structure to his life even though he has a bag of tools in his hand rather than a footballer's kitbag. The film is rather wordy and theatrical but I can forgive that. It is a three parter that starts in Romania (very plush hotels there!)and then moves forward in time twice. I found the ending satisfying as well as exhilarating. And the actor from Rillington Place, who plays Harry in this film, was just brilliant.