Marching Powder

Marching Powder starts off strong with a captivating animated opening that effectively sets up its backstory with vibrant visuals and a hint of humor, providing a foundation for the rest of the film.

However, the tone shifts abruptly with a rapid-cut, handheld fight scene that becomes uncomfortable to watch, especially on the big screen. The frantic pacing and shaky camera work is disorientating, pulling you out of the otherwise immersive experience.

Despite what the trailer might suggest, there's much more to this film than meets the eye, and a large part of its emotional depth comes from the character of Dani, the wife. Her story and emotional journey add a layer of nuance to the narrative, making the film more than just a spectacle. Her strength and resilience give the movie a heart that might otherwise be lost amidst the chaotic scenes.

In summary, Marching Powder is an unexpected gem with a unique opening, jarring but necessary fight sequences, and a powerful emotional core thanks to Dani's character. Don't let the trailer fool you-there's a compelling story here beneath the surface.

Hats off to Danny Dyer for at least putting his heart and soul into this, but as a piece of cinema it's poor, stereotypical and derivative of just about every other film he has been in - and a few that he hasn't. "Jack" is having a bit of a mid-life crisis as he realises that he's nearer the end than the beginning and hasn't much to show for it. His wife "Dani" (Stephanie Leonidas) reckons he's a waste of space and his daily regimen of lager and sniff isn't likely to change that anytime soon. A bit of routine football hooliganism sees him in front of a magistrate who gives him six weeks to get himself sorted out, else he is going to prison. Can he wean himself off his old habits and try to be a better person/husband/dad? Maybe Nick Love thinks that a constant stream of expletives makes for a good watch, but this was just puerile. There's not an hint of subtlety, no depth to the characterisation and without a doubt, the best bits are in the trails. "Jack" is a thug with few likeable qualities, and the strength of the drama between him and his wife is thrown completely under the bus when an incident with their son (Arty Dyer) should have put an end to the whole thing, but somehow just gets forgotten as what passes for a plot marches on. The whole thing has a 1980s look to it - attitudinally and aesthetically, and the occasional witty asides to the camera soon wear thin as we are presented with a slew of folks you'd cross the road to avoid. There is some humour in the script, but nowhere near enough to sustain this for what seemed like a lot longer than 90 minutes. A definite victory for hype over substance, powdery or otherwise. Sorry.

STAR RATING: ***** Brilliant **** Very Good *** Okay ** Poor * Awful

Jack (Danny Dyer) is a middle aged dad of one, whose only outlet remains through organised ruckuses at football matches. After getting caught up in his latest scrap, a judge orders him to get his life back in order to avoid a prison sentence. Over the coming weeks, he attempts to reconcile with his childhood love, Dani (Stephanie Leonidas), secure a construction job with Dani's dodgy dad (Geoff Bell), and reconnect with his son, whose hit double figures. But his connection with the psychotic Kenny Boy (Callum McNab) threatens to derail it all.

"Back in the good old days, when men had a c**k and women had a s**g..." From the off-set, it's clear that the first collaboration between Danny Dyer and director Nick Love in well over a decade, somewhat unsurprisingly, isn't going to concern itself with any sense of political correctness. After all, who are either of them to disappoint their fan base, even in what are surely more sensitive, understanding times? But then, the film is an examination of a man whom time has passed by, and so it's all the more fitting.

The reunion of the directing/starring pair feels framed as a follow up to their signature piece, The Football Factory, despite featuring completely different characters in a completely new setting. In contrast to TFF's flashy, frenetic approach to its characters, Marching Powder portrays an older, more beaten down man, more honestly shown as a desperate loser with little else in his life. The tone uneasily shifts between tongue in cheek humour and heavy, more reflective drama, without the most focused plot to keep you following to the end, but somehow it does.

It's a throwback reunion of old faces of the British crime genre, in front of the camera and behind it, rebelliously non-PC, messy and incoherent, but funny and wild, pleasing to those it's aimed at. ***

I'm probably the demographic that this film is aimed at, middle aged male who loves the match, dressing in good clobber and has enjoyed his fair share of lads nights out and away days.

But... Marching Powder is a deceiving film. The lad culture in the film feels very shoe horned in (because it's a Nick Love film it's got to have that I suppose) it didn't add anything ti the film itself other than to give them a reason to have the main character in court - which they could've done a thousand different ways. Not Dyer or Love's greatest, but maybe that was the point. The character was too old for all that bollocks. It's time to grow up.

Marching Powder: A laugh a minute serious comedy, the serious elements are rather dark. Jack (Danny Dyer) is 45, a cokehead, heavy drinker, still into getting into fights with rival football firms. His mates really lead him astray, so he claims. He is arrested, up before the beak who gives him 6 weeks to clean his act up or it's prison time. Jack still loves his wife Dani and his son but it's hard to stay straight. Especially when his father in law wants him to look after his crazed brother in law who has a habit of attacking and robbing drug dealers. Dani also wants more from life and goes back to Art College. An extremely violent, foulmouthed film, a romcom, a dark comedy, just a comedy anyway at times. The backstory really demands for Jack and Dani to be 35 for it to make sense but even the great Danny Dyer can't pass for 35 without CGI. Still, it's worth watching. Written and Directed by Nick Love. 6.5/10.