The Club

To be honest, I reckon this knocks spots off any Guy Richie gangland type film. This is British Cinema at it's best and I was left wanting the film to just go on longer. The way it finishes with a blast of Bob Relf's northern soul number Blowing my Mind to Pieces just left you feeling excited about what had gone before. Yes it is brutal in places, funny too, as well as genuinely scary, not scary in the horror film type way but in the scared for the main characters. Brilliantly acted, the soundtrack of decent soul, Gwen Guthrie's Keep the Fire's Burning, Chic's Everybody Dance and even Willie Tee's One Way Street and the fact I found myself caring about the characters kept me hooked on the film right from the beginning. I can't recommend this film enough if you like a good hard film, well constructed with plenty of nostalgia thrown in.

Back in July 2004 it was announced that Piers Brosnan was standing down as James Bond. The speculation as to who was going to take over the role was hot. The usual suspects were talked about. Clive Owen ,Ewan McGregor, Paul Bettany and even Hugh Jackman but there was one name on the short list that i would have loved to have seen get the role and that is the black British actor Colin Salmon. Even Daniel Craig said he would love to have seen Salmon get the role but I'm not so sure that true Bond fans would have been so accommodating. In this Gritty British gangster flick we see exactly why Colin Salmon is regarded as one of our top British actors.

The tale begins in the present day, with factory worker Danny , experiencing prolonged marital estrangement from his wife, Angela . The narrative then flashes back to the '80s, when Danny makes the ill-advised decision to tote his young daughters to a brutal working-men's club - and gets promptly jumped and beaten by henchmen of the crime boss Lord Billy Hennessy .

Reeling from the humiliation and suffering of this experience, Danny first attempts suicide, then does an about-face and opts to fight back by training as a boxer and taking a job as a bouncer at a local nightclub. Lo and behold, as it turns out two of the men with whom Danny trained, Sparky and Rob , not only have direct ties to Hennessy but opposing ties - one is letting Billy's drug dealers in, the other attempting to keep them out. As Hennessy watches the curtain unveiled before his eyes on the men's doings, it sets off a chain of nasty and ugly retributions that ultimately culminate with Danny wresting control of the situation and engaging in violent action against Hennessy's goons.

The British film industry really does produce some great movies . It's just a shame they don't get the publicity and distribution they deserve. Director Neil Thompson and writer Geoff Thompson have teamed up to make a very entertaining film in "Clubbed".

It's a film about deception and loyalty as a lot of gangster movies are but this one has a freshness about it. Mel Raido who plays the main character "Danny" , is fantastic. I have not seen him in anything before and he performs admirably alongside Colin Salmon and the likable Maxine Peake.

Sure it's violent but i felt it was totally necessary to tell the story . I loves the disco soundtrack and the authenticity of the era the film is set in. The cars , the costumes the buildings all feel like it was set in and around 1980.

The ending has a smart little twist that i never saw coming and a great deal of credit has to go everyone involved in Clubbing. I hope it gets a U.S DVD release as it would be a great shame if it didn't.

Clubbed is release on DVD in the UK on May the 18th.

Recommended.

8 out of 10.

yes,'clubbed' is a low budget movie but is very impressive. I'm a fan of all gangster movies and have seen most British movies too but this really did stand out to me. i thought it was going to be just another 80s wannabe gangster movie,but i was sadly wrong as i was glued to the screen from start to finish.i have never heard of the main character before and have never seen him in anything and its a surprise as he is not a bad actor Colin salmon on the other hand was brilliant as always. it was also nice to see a gangster movie without the main character being a nasty animal who likes to kill people for fun..... yes it is a nice change and hopefully we will see more movies like it.

I went in to this movie with no expectations and came away happy. This is a story of love and devotion and doing what you feel is the right thing. The main actor reminded me of Bill Moseley visually. He is a dad just trying to do what it takes to keep his girls safe and loved. He decides to try boxing and from this, becomes a club bouncer with the man that is teaching him to fight. The other players at the club are also bouncers. There is a sense of family with all of these men but Sparky. With a baby on the way he makes some bad decisions in order to save money to provide for his family. There is a mobster and his guys involved and this is what complicates the relationships. The end of the movie was very heartwarming. It was nice to see a movie that left me feeling happy and remembering how important our loved ones are.

Tired of endless 'Mockney' gangster flicks? Fed up with Danny Dyer? Bored with the same plots and dialogue recycled time after time (think Essex Boys anyone)? Then Clubbed is just the antidote you need.

Set in Birmingham in the early 1980s, a meek factory work (with a shaded backstory) re-establishes his pride, confidence and even masculinity in the dangerous world of nightclub security. The acting, direction and production values are simply first class; characters are brought to life as three dimensional people with challenges, values, beliefs and problems like everyone else; and, yes, the violence is frequent, messy and sudden - again, just like in real life - but like every other life lesson and action (beneficial or otherwise) contained within this morality play, its use is never without consequences.