Outlaw

When I saw the trailer for OUTLAW I knew I wanted to see it – Sean Bean is one of my favourite actors and I loved the look of the vigilante plot. But it was one of those films that slipped by until now, when I finally caught up with it on TV one night. I'm glad I didn't get to it sooner.

The film is a crushing, no-budget disappointment, nothing like it's made out to be in the trailer. The plot is passable at best, and while it contains some intense, shocking moments (the attack on the barrister's wife is one of the most disturbing I've seen in some time), it never seems to go anywhere, and by the end turns into the usual good guys vs. arch villain type action flick. Some scenes are ludicrous, like the bit with the shoot-out with the police in the wood, and the characters are never likable as they should be. Take Sean Bean's lead for instance – he's a disturbed ex-soldier, yes, but we never learn a thing about his background or what makes him tick. Bean tries hard to make the best of the material, but his talents are wasted here.

It's a shame, as the talents of other decent actors – such as Lennie James and Bob Hoskins – are also left unexploited to their full potential. The biggest problem of all lies in the director, Nick Love. For some stupid reason, he adopts a shaky cam in an attempt to give his film edge, but it's distracting at best and nauseating at worst. Paul Greengrass he certainly isn't – and the camera-work alone is enough to ruin what was potentially an interesting film that raises some important questions about crime and justice.

If you are someone like me who hadn't seen the trailers for this or hadn't actually heard of it, and aren't used to films of this type (i.e. British setting based around violence and crime) then you are likely to really thoroughly enjoy this movie. I thought it was one of the greatest British films in a long time, and is up there in my mind with 28 Days/Weeks Later and the like.

The acting is pretty top notch. I thought Danny Dyer and Sean Bean were fantastic unlike a few of the other commenter's, and their dialogue and actions were pretty moving and inspiring. I thought the camera work went well with the type of film it was, and aided in conveying the action, violence and attitude of the movie. There wasn't too much violence nor too little, and at times i was kept on my seat, cringing ready for the next punch, hit with a bat or pipe, or any other act performed.

The ending was pretty cool too and wasn't what i predicted to happen. It left me grinning and i was just really entertained throughout the film.

I think for the people who were looking forward to the film it was bound to not be as good as expected, but if your after something interesting or something different to your typical action or horror flick, and you like British movies, you should really give this a shot. You wont regret it.

This isn't a great film and I was never quite sure whether it meant to be a study of the dark underbelly of disaffected Britain or a crude vigilante flick. A lot of reviewers here have been dismissive of it, but I think it had fleeting touches of real power. Unfortunately, they did not build into anything of substance.

The gang members did not convince and their behaviour took the film into a strange fantasy-land world.

Sean Bean made a reasonable stab at a two dimensional character and a better script would have brought this to life. Supporting cast made a fair stab at it, but all-in-all an opportunity missed.

The idea of vigilante revenge is a powerful basis.

This movie shows not only the possibilities of revenge but the reluctance and hesitation to engage in the same.

It was well acted and mostly believable but the plot did tend to get muddied a bit at certain points. Gives an interesting view of British home life, office life, and countryside as well to those interested in British culture.

Overall, it caught my interest and kept me watching until the rather predictable ending. But predictable ending aside it shouldn't matter to most movie watchers as the action keeps everything moving and keeps it interesting to the end.

I am surprised at the poor IMDb rating for this film. The film picks up on many of the problems in British society. The failings of the Police are real and the writer paints a realistic picture of a possible future of Britain. Police getting worse, crime continuing, the public let down.

The film doesn't pull any punches, it is grim and hits its message home clearly.

The performances are fantastic. Sean Bean really is incredible, the pain in his face is clear to see, full of emotion, he is brilliant. Bob Hoskins is also great.

The film is not perfect. Any criticisms i would have would possibly be the soundtrack, it would have been good if there was more music kicking in, i think the droning noise was possibly overused.

Overall though, the writer should be credited for a writing a film with a strong, important message and the direction creates a fantastic movie.