The Score

I started passively watching and quickly got sucked in by the quirky characters and the fresh musical interludes. I don't usually like musicals but found myself singing along and looking forward to the next. The writing is intelligent and the style is original. The film moves slowly, but leaves much to savor.

An unusual style. To me the songs not good enough as a musical and the script too wordy with a dragging plot. Unfortunately didn't quite make it as either a musical or a 'crime drama'. The acting was good enough but the material didn't quite make it.

Though "music" is listed here (which could mean anything), I was not aware this was a musical before I started watching it. I simply thought, "Hey, there's that weird-looking guy with villainous brows and a pretty lady. The plot sounds okay, why not?"

And then their mouths started moving to the song (wasn't against the song, btw) and I went, "Wait, what?" I like a musical. But I like them better when I know beforehand that it's going to be a musical. The streaming service I'm watching this on doesn't even use the vague category of "music" to describe it, so it just seems like it's going to be a thriller.

Edit: So, I decided to give it another shot. Will Poulter and Naomi Ackie were enjoyable to watch. Will has a dumb kind of charm as this character (I hate to call him it that considering how often he's called "dumb"), and the two do a good job with portraying a tentative kind of chemistry. It seems an impossible situation because even 10,000£ isn't enough to do whatever. The Mike character is so hateable, just a miserable little man going around trying to make other people miserable. So, that actor did a good job as well.

But the singing...I either muted or fast-forwarded it. Very much unnecessary.

S/N: Why do British movies always have cheating in them? I watch so many British films and shows, and so many of them have a cheating plot or subplot. Maybe they don't realize, but it makes it seem like cheating is normal there.

The entire movie could've been pared done to a 30 minute show.

Music was not good and was certainly forced. The cornball philosophy was torture to tolerste. All in all a 3 star rating is extremely generous. This is definitely one of those movies you could pass on and never miss, or just let it play in the background while you do your chores or to ework. There's really no need to pay attention to it minute by minute as the action is so slow most of it seems like filler!

The movie is hardly what you would call a crime drama as aside from an unprovoked fight at a petrol station there is no crime through the first 60 minutes. Just vague references to "the score!" The true crime here is that the producer, director and or writer STOLE the title from a great 2001 action adventure crime drama and tried to get away with it!

Come to think of it, I'm changing my rating to 2 stars.

Watch this one at your own risk....

You don't find movies done like this.

I put this on just to eat dinner, and ended up captivated by the dialog, subtle, clever, meaningful. This movie is never gonna please everyone and no musical has ever come off as "natural" but they kinda pulled it off(the songs are poems and they are meant to capture the characters internal fire). It's obviously done like a play(campy) and in the first couple minutes they talk about Shakespeare and poets.so you get the hint. Its one of those movies you might be embarrassed to get caught watching, if someone walked in during the singing but honestly, it was well directed(well acted, well shot) very well written and the story was quite captivating(the mystery of not knowing exactly what's going down) i didn't notice the pace being slow, i was too busy paying attention to the interactions of the players.

I'd say give it the fifteen minute test, if you don't like it, move along.