Marching Powder

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.

Proper British film that shows the hooligan football lifestyle and I'm sure many brits will love it.

It's a pretty funny film that makes a few cracks at various things and goes risky with its comedy at times which I can admire as most films are too scared to do that. The whole story about this piss head and smack head not being able to get his life together is fun to watch with all the chaos but overall it's about his journey to change, it never has enough depth for this change to be shown or his romance with his wife. He doesn't really change much by the end of it and falls into the same pattern so story wasn't very rewarding or believable due to not enough depth especially with how easily his wife runs back to his bad behaviour. All this was to me is some pretty funny moments but story needed to be better.

Dialogue was very British but relied way too much on the C word.

Danny Dyer was a pleasure to see at the premiere and the director and they were solid with an entertaining performance and a creative quirky film.

A movie made for the British football crowd who this story is about.

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.

Anyone paying to watch this movie should be very aware of 1. What type of movies the director has previously put out, and 2. What type of movies Danny Dyer has put out. If you are keen on the rough, close to the bone language and violence, you will enjoy this movie. It's akin to football factory but with a better, more grown up storyline. If you're rating Marching Powder low, then the mistake is on your part. It's exactly what you should expect, and was very enjoyable.

The supporting characters are all spot on and add to the Essex gangster no nonsense script.

Danny Dyer, legend of the Dickie.

Marching Powder is a lot of fun as it nobly tries to be a romantic comedy with a darker edge due to its subject matter. There's no mistaking what you're going to get here and the opening sequence (both animated and live action) ensures you know exactly what the next 90 minutes are going to be like. It covers quite a bit within that shorter run time and always remains engaging even if it's undoubtedly frustrating to watch the cycle repeating itself so many times.

Danny Dyer's character doesn't make a strong case for any potential redemption or forgiveness so his natural charms are working overtime to keep him likeable which is the sole reason he remains a watchable presence. Every time he breaks the fourth wall it works and his self deprecating nature is also a big help. Stephanie Leonidas is the sole heart of the film as she gives Dyer too many second chances without being naive about the chances of success.

Nick Love's direction manages to maintain the playful nature throughout, starting strong with an animated fairytale opening and then finding various ways to include equally fantastical flourishes. It's a hard tone to balance, moving back and forth between brutal gang violence and more lighthearted relationship shenanigans but it does a pretty good job of handling the tonal shifts. Simon Stolland's cinematography definitely helps by employing chaotic camerawork for the fights.