The Big Man

Nobody ever claimed this was a great movie, but surely the fact that nearly 25 minutes were cut from the U.S. release (retitled "Crossing the Line" from original "The Big Man") explains why no one was enthusiastic about it over here. I finally got around to watching the cut version (still the only one available in the U.S., I believe), and it seems choppy and formulaic in a way that suggests the extras that often make all the difference-atmosphere, character background, nuance-were exactly what got cut. This results in a movie that should be better, particularly with this cast, but never rises above adequate.

The family's struggles in a tough Scottish economy, the criminal connections Neeson is lured into et al. aren't properly established before they're taken for granted by the narrative, giving them little force. In particularly, Whalley-Kilmer hardly has a character to play, though she and the kids are the entire reason Neeson's figure lets himself get sucked into the fighting he doesn't at all want to do save for the money. Hugh Grant turns up briefly, and in this edit, it's not even clear who his character is or why he's here.

When we finally get to a proper fight (opposite Rab Affleck, who'd been a champion boxer in real life before this movie started his acting career), it's powerfully brutal. Neeson fans will probably never have seen him in such spectacular physical condition before, and he's fully committed in acting terms here as well. The later parts of the film feel less truncated than the early progress, which presumably most of the American-release cuts came out of, so it does get better.

Yet in its U.S. cut, at least, this isn't exactly a good boxing, domestic or crime drama, but an underdeveloped muddle of all three. While it's still not a bad film, you can certainly tell they had something better in mind. The much higher regard it's held in by people who've seen the two-hour "Big Man" version makes it clear that that's the film to see, not "Crossing the Line."

Based on a novel (of the same name) by the late, great William McIlvanney, directed by David Leland (he of Wish You Were here and TV's Made in Britain and Birth of a Nation fame), with a score by Ennio Morricone and a stunning cast, including (in approximate merit order) Ian Bannen, Maurice Roeves, Billy Connolly, Liam Neeson, Joanne Whalley-Kilmer, Peter Mullan ('young' and underused), Julie Graham, Hugh Grant and, in cameo roles, Douglas Henshall and Jack Shepherd, plus many great supporting character actors, Leland's 1990 film had 'classic' written all over it. Why then does it 'score' so moderately, critically? A recent rewatching (the first time since the film's release) had me concluding that the lukewarm reception is still somewhat inexplicable. OK, the premise of Neeson's (post-1980s strike) ex-miner and Scot, Danny Scoular, looking 'to make good', escape his (now) jobless, emasculating existence and provide for his wife (Whalley-Kilmer's Beth) and family by taking up the lucrative offer by Bannen's Mr Big, Matt Mason, of a bare knuckle fight, is not exactly an original idea, but Leland's uncompromising direction, Don MacPherson's sharp script and the level of acting talent on show make for a never less than intriguing watch.

As is invariably the case with the man, Connolly's presence on screen (big or little) tends towards a nailed-on positive and here, as Mason's wisecracking 'fixer', Frankie, the Big Yin is again given most of the best lines, some of which are delivered (in a highlight scene) to Danny's pet dog! Certainly, of course, (authentic) accents are not a problem for Connolly nor for each of ('natives') Bannen or Roeves (the latter as Mason's gang rival and counter-better, Cam Colvin). Whalley-Kilmer struggles the most in this respect, whilst Grant's 'posh Edinburgh' brogue as Beth's stand-in lover, Gordon, is rather assured. Thematically, as well as Danny's need to provide, Leland gives us a reasonably engaging political and community backdrop, Danny quipping that he has 'not a criminal record, a political record' whilst his local neighbourhood gather to give him a send-off against the backdrop of a disused coal mine. In terms of visual invention, Leland gives us an uncompromising, extended fight sequence (to Morricone's memorable staccato accompaniment), plus some unexpected (and repeated) cutting to a (Sexy Beast-like - could Jonathan Glazer have taken inspiration from Leland here?) Spanish, lilo sun-bathing portly ex-gangster (whose relevance latterly becomes apparent).

Given McIlvanney's outstanding (poetic and descriptive) qualities as a writer, Leland's film could, I guess, be criticised (as for many literary screen adaptations) for not quite capturing the magic of the author's prose and imagination. As a comparator, given the film's take on family angst set against a political backdrop, the most obvious comparator would be Mark Herman's 1996 film, Brassed Off. Leland's film may not quite match that, but it runs it mighty close.

The Big Man is not a true genre movie. It isn't a boxing movie, not a crime movie and not a family drama, but elements from all those genres meet somewhere in this film.

The setting is great. The director managed to choose a location that is barren, almost colourless and is obviously a skeleton of what it once was; a mining town. The coal mine has been shut down long ago and that is the beginning of the story. But I'm not going to give too much away of the hows and what's, for the film itself is good enough to tell it's own story without any problems.

The acting is good. I can't tell if the people could pass as those that they portray, but they make it believable for those who have never been in Scotland. It's very easy to admire Neeson; main reason is that there are many villages with someone like him, only here it goes a little to the extreme.

Even if there are fighters, gangsters and blood, this is still a drama. So it's rather slow. Don't watch this for the boxing or the gangsterism alone. All those elements make it a very rich movie, sometimes even towards the exotic. Downside to this is that it's not always easy to adapt 'all' facets of life. The movie focuses only once on a happening, and that is the fight it's all about. The rest is a little out of focus, but in the end it comes together to one important lesson.

As some people in other comments already noticed; music is by Ennio Morricone. It's strange at first to hear an Italian soundtrack (with this I mean music in the style for Italian thrillers) when viewing Scotland, but is sure works. The music during the fight is a great build-up piece that goes from suspenseful to epic.

I don't know what score to give this. I wanted to give it a 7, maybe because I didn't enjoy everything in it, but I'll give and 8 after all; I find this movie too sympathetic to give a 7 and there are many elements that I enjoy.

Saw it on a Dutch 6 euro DVD with excellent quality and lots of subtitles. Maybe best purchase this month.

This started as an entertaining mix between Rocky and Hard Times (with a British twist) but as the film moves on a lot of hidden depth shows and the real quality of this film starts to shine through. The plot is about Danny Scholar (played superbly by Liam Neeson), an unemployed ex-miner who is struggling to put food on the table for his family. He is offered money by a local crime boss to compete in a bare knuckle fight yet the details of why he is fighting are left ambiguous. He accepts but is soon caught up in more than he expected when the real reasons behind the fight become apparent. This is all set in a small working class village in Scotland. Liam Neeson is joined by a superb cast including Billy Connolly, Joanne Whalley-Kilmer and none other than Hugh Grant before he became a megastar. There's also lots of familiar faces from British TV. The settings are what I enjoyed most about this film, maybe because a large portion of the films I watch are set abroad and it was nice to see something closer to home. Especially in a film that was very down-to-earth and realistic. This is reflected in the actual fight, I'm not lying when I say it's got to be the most brutal, realistic and down right nasty fist fight I've seen on screen. Imagine Hard Times just with five times more blood and dirty tactics and that's basically what you've got. But where as Hard Times was more action orientated this leans more towards drama with the only action scene being the excellent fist fight in the middle. Oh did I forget the score for the film was also composed by the legendary Ennio Morricone. Everything just felt like some real time and effort was put in to make this and this is clearly apparent when watching it. Recommended!

I think Mr. Dundee's review is spot on. The bare knuckle fight is extremely brutal. It's not one of these ultra-choreographed fights seen in the vast majority of movies that contain fighting. Part of this has to do with the superior makeup job and camera angles. Also, the man who plays Neeson's opponent is a real bare knuckle fighter. He was originally brought on as a consultant, and then it was decided that he should play the character.

However this is NOT an action movie. It is a drama, and a pretty good one. I can't think of anything else to add. Mr. Dundee summed up everything.

If anyone would like to know more detailed info about this fight scene, then I suggest you rent Ultimate Fights Volume 2.