Edwin Boyd

Handsomely shot, with a slick, cold style, this movie plays out like a made for TV production with (slightly) better production values. As a non-Canadian who always sees a lot of Canadian films while attending the Toronto Film Festival, I just couldn't bring myself to care about this lead character. Played by the solid but ultra-bland Scott Speedman (who is looking more and more mature but whose handsomeness is wearing thin), we follow the adventures and travails of a famous Canadian historical personage. But "Bonnie and Clyde" this is not. On the contrary the movie suffers from a lack of zest, a lack of energy. Speedman is nice to look at but he brings no sense of urgency to anything he does. I know it's a stretch, but compare this to Warren Beatty, who was the very definition of a sex icon but who brought a goofy, affable, ever-so-slightly psycho charm to his Clyde Barrow. We get none of that here. Not even close. On the plus side I enjoyed some of the minor characters and for a first film it's reasonably well directed. BUT...and this is a big "but"...there is a deficit of real drama. This genre has been done so well by so many A-list directors and actors that a minor entry into the realm just isn't enough. I'm adding a star because I think this director could have a future but I don't see this film traveling south of its Canadian audience, nor does it deserve to. And truth be told I don't think most Canucks will care either. The film doesn't give them a good enough reason to, and this, above all, is its failing.

Edwin Boyd is a fast-paced roller coaster film that proves fact can indeed be stranger than fiction. It is filled with poignant, heartbreaking moments. Boyd longed to be a Hollywood star and he would no doubt have a joyous tear in his eye to see this beautiful portrait of his life on the big screen.

First-time filmmakers can certainly take notes and learn a thing or two from Nathan Morlando here. Morlando (also the screenwriter) executes this ambitious true story period piece on a low budget with such excellence you'd think he's been making films for years.

The flow and tone of the film don't scream "period piece" -- which is a great thing and a conscious decision. It feels modern and slick, for instance, with the hand-held camera, particularly during the bank robbery scenes, which really place you right in the middle of the action. The soundtrack is also genius. Morlando mixes up the old tunes of that era with the jolting sounds of modern bands that feel like they could be from another time and place in history (i.e. The Black Keys). It's totally unexpected and completely exciting while watching. Brilliant work.

The overall aesthetic look to the film is stunning. Shot on film, giving it warmth and life, it still has this cool grey almost newsreel type of look to it, only using flashy, vibrant colours where necessary; making them all the more gorgeous.

Scott Speedman plays the title role and he truly shines in the tricky part. He shows off tremendous range as an actor. From the inner frustration and sadness simmering just below the surface, to the eventual angry blow ups, to the fun-loving gentleman-thief dancing around the banks and flirting with tellers; Speedman shows us he is capable of great things.

The supporting cast is outstanding as well and they all play their parts just perfectly in showing off the different faces of Eddie Boyd (big praise to Morlando as well for fleshing out each character so well in the script in order to get deeper into the psyche of our lead character).

The interactions with the fellas in the Boyd gang are so exciting and fun to watch, especially during their prison breaks and bank robberies -- you're placed right in the middle of the action, feeling like the fifth member of their gang. The scenes with Eddie and his wife Doreen, played by Kelly Reilly are beautiful and poignant. Completely in love at first, their relationship becomes strained over the years due to Eddie's lifestyle decisions, despite the love for each other always being there. Brian Cox does a great job playing Eddie's father (a retired police officer), adding a sad tension and insight in their tattered father-son relationship.

Overall, Edwin Boyd is an extremely well-crafted film. Not just for a first-time director, but for any filmmaker; it's solid all the way around. Morlando handles the tricky, ambitious material of a real-life figure with total poise and precision. You'll laugh, you'll cry and you'll be on the edge of your seat.

Definitely consider checking out this film. I can't wait to see it again.

For once a Canadian film set in Canada, without an American "name" star and done in a distinctively Canadian style. There's non Hollywood glitz. Indeed most of it is shot in the winter with typical Canadian winter scenes. (Hollywood never does that unless it's a movie about skiing.) Nor are the bad guys glamourized. The Boyd Gang may have been the closest thing we have to Bonnie and Clyde. But they aren't wrapped in tinsel the way B&C were. Nor is there any of the excess gunplay that Hollywood so loves. The entire film is shot in a low saturated colour --- almost black and white --- which, with the many winter scenes, gives it a gritty feel that is altogether appropriate. They also have done a superb job of recreating the late forties and early fifties. The cars, the furniture, the clothing, the interiors are truly representative of the era. I know. We once had a bedroom set and a kitchen table identical to ones in the film. All the more surprising that there are two major goofs...a widescreen movie theatre and a home telephone which looks nothing like the standard black Bell Canada handset that was universal in those days. But those are small points. This is a gripping, graphic, genuine piece of work.

Toronto was seemingly a nice and secure town after the World War II, and no or poor security measures in prisons and banks made gangs' ideas and plans easy to fulfill and proceed. Moreover, radios and black-and-white newspapers were not much of help in engaging co-citizens for identification and informing about criminals. Such was the surroundings where Boyd and his fellows lived their life; not as brightly as their U.S. counterparts before and then, which is probably the reason why the depiction is not that catchy and even robberies resemble asking money nicely in the presence of guns... Pre-robbery scenes are too long and only loosely connected with the remaining story, and the ending is rather awkward. The cast is uneven as well, with non-Canadians performing more versatile (Kelly Reilly as Doreen Boyd and Brian Cox as Glover); those presenting the Boyd gang seemed not catchy to me.

Thus, an above-average story based on real events and characters, but not a must-see movie.

Okay, the movie is based on a true story (a fad nowadays, it seems), and it most certainly has its moments. But in general the entire flick lacks some panache. If it were a Canadian province, I'd say it's (northern) Manitoba on a Tuesday night.

While the main protagonist is portrayed rather decently, as well as his 'transformation' the rest of the movie is a bit stale and dry - I'd go so far to say clinically clean. Yeah, I get it, he's quite a normal guy, a victim of circumstance and all, trying to make ends meet and all. And I dig the story, but it's like eating a loaf of dry bread - you satisfy your hunger but without much joy. Personally I think the director (maybe as writer, too), tried a bit too hard to make it "arty" and forgot that a movie also should be entertaining, otherwise it's just bland ol' life. I'll keep the director in mind, maybe his next flick will be less Manitoba and more Québec.