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The Man With No Plan Sees Daniel Craig In FLASHBACKS OF A FOOL!!
Merrick here...
Readers Talkback
I was lucky enough to be at the world premiere of Daniel Craig’s movie this weekend in London’s Leicester Square, called Flashbacks of a Fool, and as no-one has so far posted a review on your site, I thought I’d give it a go. I won’t carry on much about the build-up to the showing, other than it was a hugely celebrity filled affair, with many of the stars from the film (Mark Strong, Keeley Hawes, Helen McCrory, Olivia Williams, Jodhi May, Claire Forlani) in attendance, along with Mr James Bond himself, Daniel Craig. In addition, Bryan Ferry of Roxy Music (whose music plays an integral part to the film) was also in attendance. The film is a first feature for ex-music videos director Baillie Walsh – he’s worked with just about every one in the music industry at one point, but apparently he and Daniel have wanted to make this movie for a number of years, and Daniel’s rise to super-stardom thanks to Bond has given him the financial clout. Well, if this is anything to go by, he should flex those financial film muscles more often. The film is best described as a film of two parts, based in the present and in the 1970s. The modern day story deals with Craig’s character, Joe Scott, a 40-something British actor living in Hollywood, his success well and truly behind him, as he slips in to a decline fuelled by drugs, alcohols and hookers (all the fun things in life). The state of his life is best exemplified by a meeting between Craig and his agent, Manny (played by the ever amazing Mark Strong), where Craig’s self-destructive state is quite clearly laid out for him. The inciting incident to the story is the unexpected news of the death of a childhood friend in Britain, someone who he was very close to, but who he has lost touch with a long time previously. The news of this death starts a serious of flashbacks (the second part of the movie), where we say Craig’s character in his mid-teens. The teenage Joe Scott is played by Harry Eden (he played the Artful Dodger in Polanski’s take on Oliver Twist a few years back). Eden was excellent in conveying the younger Scott, not only in appearance, but also in copying the physical mannerisms of Daniel Craig. The story of the younger Joe Scott, set in 1970’s England, at a sea-side town, where he lives with his family and friends, shows how actions he takes in these adolescent years have a devastating effect on his life, and how the elder Scott has still not dealt with many of these issues, many of which are fuelling his self-destructive phase. I really do not want to give much more away, as I think it would ruin the movie. Overall I thought the film was an amazing film, very powerful, and at points very moving. A few special things that I loved. The cinematography of John Mathieson was amazing, using the beauty of the location shooting in South Africa (doubling for both Malibu in LA and a sea-side town in England) to its best. The soundtrack, which features early Roxy Music heavily, and especially one particular song by them, If There Is Something, was fantastic, and perfectly helped to invoke the era. The actors were all superb, a high quality cast that were never flat or 2-dimensional. Special praise should be showered on the children actors, who were fantastic in portraying the central characters in their formative years. If I have one complaint, it was probably I saw more than I needed to of Mr Craig’s naked ass, but I am sure that fact will probably only increase ticket sales, especially with the female demographic of this site. A great movie all round. For the record, you can call me “The Man with No Plan”. And PS, before all the bitching starts, I am not a plant – really just loved the movie, as did everyone else I went with.
