Diamond Skulls

This movie is perhaps the most compelling--and starkly fascinating--example of a filmmaker's ability to reveal the subtleties of psychology and class, and their combined effect on the an individual's actions. It's also terrifically fun to watch, make no mistake. When Viscount Bucton (Gabriel Byrne) accidentally (or with subconscious intent) kills a woman in a hit and run accident (thinking that it was his wife on an adulterous assignation) his upper-class army friends rally around him to protect one of their own. When Bucton's middle-class friend, Jamie, consumed by guilt, reveals the secret of what really happened that rainy night, he is first brutally ostracized, then framed, then killed. Rarely has the British class structure been so starkly and elegantly stripped of its "Disney" affectations, and shown for what it is. Wonderful performances, also, from Judy Parfitt as Bucton's mother, the Countess of Crune, and Michael Hordern and his father, the Earl of Crune. Bravo to acclaimed social documentarian Nick Broomfield, who turns his unsparing eye to a film that deserves a much wider distribution than it received, and which ought to be acknowledged as a dramatic triumph of Dickensian scope, beautifully and hauntingly photographed, magnificently acted, and powerfully--and tragically-- resonant. This is a profoundly intelligent film that requires a little more sophistication than the average filmgoer possesses, and will likely be a little too complicated for some viewers who might be better served by fluffier, more "Hollywood," fare.

This cold-blooded dissection of English upper-class immorality begins when brooding aristocrat Gabriel Byrne kills a woman while on a drunken drive through London, and his old-school pals, along for the ride, decide not to report the accident. It's a great hook, but no one can think of anything to hang on it. There's a teasing suggestion that the hit-and-run might not have been entirely accidental, but what begins to develop as a mystery emerges, instead as a vague character study, although it's unclear if that character is meant to be (in a portentous metaphor) England herself. The film could have been twice as fascinating at half the length; too much of the slim 87 minute running time is padded with Byrne's sexual domination fantasies (which no doubt explain the NC-17 rating), and with redundant scenes of the idle, decadent rich at play: regimental buddies riding piggyback around the dining room, and so forth.

Even before I saw another review that was just titled Gabriel Byrne, I was also thinking "great actor" and he sort of elevates the movie overall. You may not think he does make a difference, but he really shows his quality even at times when it can't really help.

There's also one flashback that is shown quite often (including nudity and violence), which is way too much - or hammering it too hard (home). There's a theme about rich people and the way they feel society owes them and they are a bit above the law. Consciousness and some sense of morality sometimes give them a pause though ... but for how long? And also: effective enough?

OK, the film is uncomfortable and a bit basic, but anyone who loves and I mean loves Gabriel Byrne, will really want to watch this movie. Lots of very moody shots of him doing what he does best and thats looking dark, Irish and quite lovely. A bit of a strange plot, but he stands out in his film.

Amanda Donoghue is excellent, and the back drop of London and the English country side is an important part to the film.

You don't actually identify with anyone to like in this film, however as previously mentioned if you are an avid 'Gabriel' watcher, then this one is for you.

This film tries to be much more clever than it actually is. An aristocrat, empty and brutal, runs down a woman while the worse for drink at the wheel of his car. The woman resembles his wife more than a little. Murder, or mistake? Gabriel Byrne, in the stage of his career when he was still playing low-lifes, bad guys, and simmering sadists, is OK as the lead character, Hugo. Sexy Amanda Donohoe has another interesting role to set against her big break in 'Castaway' a couple of years earlier, but there is little chemistry between her and Byrne - it can't have been an easy film to do, though.

As a depiction of ruling Britain, 'Diamond Skulls' falls into the trap of showing drunken, orgy-obsessed cretins who serve very little purpose. It tries to be both intellectual and psychological, but Nick Broomfield's direction is muddled and the film is a mess.