Once Upon a Time in the Midlands (2002)

A Major Disappointment

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

I stuck this one for thirty minutes, until I could take no more.Is it a comedy? No, it's not in the slightest amusing.Drama? Nope.Romance? Definitely no.SciFi? Possibly, the characters don't seem to inhabit any of the planets I'm familiar with.Seriously, this is a terrible effort. Long, meandering shots which lead nowhere. Dreadful people with accents that are incomprehensible. Situations that have absolutely no relevance to whatever plot there may be. Cuts from one venue to another with no indication what connection they have.The cinematography is quite reasonable. That's all, folks.

I have to disagree with the review that found Rhys Ifans obviously "acting", as Dek. I know guys who are repressed like Dek, who sometimes play up having more testosterone than they really do. Ifans was spot on as a dorky guy who wants to impress his mates and the woman he loves. Shirley Henderson (Harry Potter, Hamish MacBeth)was a little too mousy, in voice at the very least, and way too thin- she looks anorexic! The movie had me laughing out loud at numerous points, much to the chagrin, I'm sure, of my neighbors. Finn Atkins was great as Marlene, the kid in the middle of the adult mess. The supporting cast was truer to life than most. 8 out of 10!

I generally like Shane Meadows, his honest writing and depiction of what early 21st century average life in Britain is actually like, is both appealing and refreshing.This one (I re-watched after many years and seen all his later work) is just a bit of a tangled mess (hence my summary title). It was great to watch the great Kathy Burke in a dominant (yes!) role now that she's concentrating on theatre direction these days. Also, her screen hubbie, a rather ridiculous wannabe country singer in the shape of Ricky Tomlinson.Robert Carlyle plays to form as a real piece of ***t who is after getting his ex back. I soon found his constant shouting, swearing and nastiness wearying and Ryhs Ifans' counter example, as poor Shirley Henderson's dopey, lily-livered 'boyfriend' equally annoying. I wanted to shout out loud 'forget them both', but this being drama, the opposite happens of course.The lighter moments, I suppose were intended to punctuate this domestic misery with an air of humanity. But, most of the time, they look stupidly careless, leaving you unsure whether they were intentional, or not. I did like the overall premise, especially at the end, when the subversive comparison to the classic western becomes apparent, though the setting is a modern English city's housing estate over a hundred years later. The Sierra Cosworth being the equivalent of a wild stallion...?Meadow's work, though, is always of much merit and the fact that he has gotten himself a niche and etched himself a position on that elite panel of independent Brit directors whose work is admired equally by critics and public alike, is to be much admired. It also means that this quite early offering from him is still above average.

'Once upon a time in the midlands' is the next instalment from Nottingham director Shane Meadows, indeed it concludes his 'Nottingham trilogy' along with previous efforts 'Twentyfourseven' and 'A Room for Romeo Brass' I am glad to say that it surpassed all my expectations. It's a tale of a loner Jimmy (Robert Carlyle) who by chance manages to see his ex, Shirley (Shirley Henderson) on a television show turning down a proposal from her new boyfriend on national television, this prompts Jimmy to return to Nottingham and try to win her back, along with the Daughter (a brilliant debut from 12 year old Finn Atkins). There's just a few problems for Jimmy on the way, Shirley's wimpy yet loving new bloke Dek (Rhys Ifans), Jimmy's mouthy step sister and her wannabe country singer husband (Kathy Burke and Ricky Tomlinson respectively) not forgetting his shady friends who pursue him down south after he rips them off after a strange robbery goes horribly wrong.All members of the cast shine and its fun to see a 'western' style angle being adopted – the classic tale of a loner coming into town to win back his girl, chased by villains and ready for a final confrontation with the man who his girl is now hooked up with. I hope this film gets the recognition that it deserves.