Outlaw

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.

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.

Sean Bean gives a good performance as a Para who seems to have lost a sense of purpose after leaving the armed services in Outlaw. I really got into this movie and I thought hey there are some snags but I am enjoying this. Yes it is a bit controversial in its thinking but sometimes you have to accept that society does not always think logically. Another good point to the film is how you watch the characters reactions to the whole philosophy of retaliation. Some of members of the gang seem to struggle with the violence, whilst others simply bask in it. However, the fundamental flaw appears with this film as far as I was concerned was towards the end. For 3 quarters of the film I wanted to know what was going to happen, where the characters were going. I wanted the film to end in a crescendo of action and intrigue. Instead sadly it ended with a bit of a farce and a whimper. I won't spoil it for those that want to see it but lets just say that it seemed to me that the script writer either ran out of ideas or the director ran out of money. In my opinion if Outlaw was 15 minutes longer and the ending thought about a bit more this could have been a good film. In the end all it left me was the bitter taste of disappointment though.

From the trailers of Outlaw one could probably say that this film is going to rock ! Guns , girls and gore right? With a cast like Sean Bean and Danny Dyer , Bob Hoskins and Nick Love the man who gave us Football Factory and The Business , we got the Brit Pack ere ! Unfortuntaley that is not the case this time round , don't get me wrong the idea of a vigilante mob that takes the law into their own hands seemed pretty cool and giving the current climate of yob culture in Briton it would help to have someone would knock some heads together. Sean Bean plays a soldier who has just returned from Iraq to find his life is just as bad as it was out there and he seems to do a pretty good job of playing a tortured man that kind made me draw comparisons between him and Robert De Niro's character out of Taxi Driver , he then goes about setting up a group of like minded individuals who just like him have snapped with the wrongs that go on around them. So far so good Nick Love does a good job of keeping the film moving and at times blending in realistic problems with the fantasy side of things. However although I felt all the actors performed well , what they had to work with was very limited and thusly a script that lacked depth really does not make you care about the characters that much. Also I found it to be a little dull in places and then getting very rushed towards the last 30 minutes of the movie with things flying about left , right and centre just made it chaotic. Too conclude Outlaw came across as a movie which could of had a lot of potential and probably could of been Nick Love's finest piece of work to date as it dealt with a subject most of us deal with every day and night whilst on the streets of the UK , but unfortunately a shoddy, shallow script and messy direction made this one lose serious marks. I understand this was made mainly of donations from fans of Nick Love but unfortunately that really is no excuse but Nick's trademark violence made sit all the way through it. My advice is just wait for it to hit the rental shop .

OUTLAW 6.8 OUT OF 10

FIGHTING BACK IN 2007

It really was a disappointment. Slow start and the last 20 minutes picks up. But I had to give it a 7/10 because of the concept. "Boondock Saints" was better.

=> maybe see it! Better to rent.

Plot: The law & govt in London lets down several average citizens in terrible crimes committed against them and their families. Corrupt officials are in league with the govt who allow criminals to get off. Soluion = vigilante group forms to right the wrongs.

Lot of reasonably well known actors in here but it has a B quality movie flavor. Maybe you could say more of live or real budget production. It moves a long a bit slowly, but despite all of this I really have to draw attention to..

+ves: - it almost follows a pseudo real life pace not a Hollywood blockbuster - the incidents that occur are believable. It could happen in South London. - bully's & punks with top people in collusion with police - corrupts govt and police - a few wrong people pushed too far and of course the social path who is drawn to the group - and a predictable or realistic ending.. Don't worry no spoilers.

-> The longer I consider it the more the movie has drawn me in, like a car crash and it deserves it's 7/10