Mr In-Between

I purchased this flick as a insert to polish home video magazine with the strong cover recommendation. Never heard indeed about the Mr Sarossy and about the actors so it made me really curious but suspicious (british gangster movies are not my favorite especially made by overrated Mr Ritchie). But "Aniol Smierci (Angel of death)" (polish title) was a great surprise for me. For the long time I haven't seen so tense, disturbing and depressive movie. It shocks even with the rather low amount of gore on screen. My wife started to watch withe me but after 20 minutes she runs away saying "it won't be happy end". She has damned right. There was no happy anding but happy ending is impossible. Perfect evil can't be redeemed by the money and even love. Why Neil Jordan?? In some moments the film reminds me "Mona Lisa" and "Crying games". Why David Lynch?? Tattooed Man looked like he escapes from "Blue Velvet" or "Mulholland Dr". I've also in mind some movies of Kieslowski and - of course - "Leon" (comparing with the "Aniol smierci" a good-old-family-cinema)

Jon is an ideal employee: neat, efficient and conscientious. The torture he inflicts is effective and the kills are swift. Mentored by his tattooed boss, the only thing asked of Jon is total quality. But something happens...and for the first time Jon let his emotions affect his work. Now the tables are turned as the boss and the hit-man face off in the most dangerous kind of business...The Killing Kind."

The main problem with this film was that I just couldn't get into it, it had great characters, a good story and twists that would all account for a great film. But it just missed that thing that makes films interesting. Maybe it was the "low-budget" aspect of the quality of film that made me dis-like the film, or maybe the fact that I thought it was going to be something totally different.

He isn't a hit-man that I would picture, he hardly ever uses a gun (which is showcased on the cover). He uses a pool cue and a fire poker among things. The dialouge does indeed suck, but that's British films for you (Save Shaun and Snatch). The fact of the matter is, this film tries to be something that it's not, which is SNATCH and LOCK STOCK, with a twist at the end that will shock some, but leave the others asking why.

There are some great characters here that could use a touch up here or there, other then that, this film is a disappointment. Skip it for a better British film, because there are many.

My Advice: Ignore the 6/10 rating. Chances are you hadn't heard of this movie save by random chance, and perhaps you read the synopsis and your interest was piqued. If so watch this movie; it delivers in many ways, and if you are a fan of the genre (dark, ambient, crime, drama, with some philosophy thrown in), then you are in for a treat. I imagine the lower-than-deserved rating was due to people merely not liking the the genre or the ending.

Now I complain about the 6/10 and only give a 7/10. I understand that most people's ratings are different than mine. This film is good but not perfect...one I will recommend to friends and the fans of the genre(s), but with an addendum: It is a fairly slow movie, with not much major event happening. The movie is paced differently in that most popular movies follow a intro/rising action/climax/resolution pattern, this movie does not (really). Truly you won't really know what the point of the movie is until closer to the end, which for some will be a turnoff. I like that fact though especially because the writer/director does a great job of keeping you distracted with some good relationships, character development, and frankly good acting.

Give it a shot if you're getting tired of traditional Hollywood hogwash.

Ok, don't let the title throw you off. It's not so bad I want to vomit. It's because it was so good that I'm physically feeling nauseated at the moment. It's not because of blood or gore. This movie is so disturbing it's ridiculous. This is why I prefer thrillers to most other horror movies though. Suspense in a realistic situation is so much more motivating than blood, guts, and monsters. Man, it's hard to put into words the emotions that I feel after finishing this movie. I don't think my wife could watch it to be honest. I'm glad I watched it while she's at work today. I'm not normally moved by movies much. In fact, I think this is the first movie about a hitman that I've ever watched and didn't have some fun thoughts about killing people afterwards.(yes, I have a morbid sense of humor) DISTURBING is the perfect 1 word description for this movie if you need one.

I've very little time for the Brit crime explosion of recent years, especially all those cheeky chappy Cockney gangster movies inspired by Guy Ritchie. Even 'Sexy Beast' didn't quite do it for me. Apart from the underrated 'Gangster No.1' these movies aren't a patch on 1980s Brit gangster classics like 'The Long Good Friday' or 'The Hit'. I nearly bypassed 'Mr. In-Between' at first thinking it was going to more of the same, but it's actually much richer and more interesting. I was shocked at how impressed I was by this film. I'd definitely say it's one of the most underrated British movies of the last ten years. The story concerns a British hit man working for a gangster but the characters are more complex than usual and the plot doesn't go in the same old tired directions. The movie is a first for the director (Paul Sarossy) and writer (Paul Waddington). Sarossy is a Canadian cinematographer who has worked on some of Atom Egoyan's best known movies, and Waddington is usually an actor. But boy, is this an impressive debut! Andrew Howard is an unfamiliar face to me but he gives a superb performance as Jon, the hit man. Equally good is David Calder, the "Tattooed Man", Jon's enigmatic boss. The relationship between the two is left ambiguous, and that's one of the things which makes this movie a cut above your standard thriller. In fact even calling it a thriller at all may be doing it a bit of a disservice. I highly recommend 'Mr In-Between' for those who enjoy dramas with a bit of depth and subtlety, and I really hope that Paul Sarossy gets the opportunity to direct again as he shows great promise. This movie is destined to become a cult favourite.