Flashbacks of a Fool

I really loved this movie! It makes you to think and talk about it after you have seen it. Sometimes when you are so high in your life you're living,nothing is important more than yourself until something personally hits you This film tells you that you have to go down rock bottom to stop and realize your past and your mistakes you have done. And this one film tells you everything you need to know about mistakes when we are still innocent and young and in the same time even when you are young you still feel guilt of what happens around you. But it is never too late and i think everyone deserves a second chance. It took me 3 months when i decided to rent it and i said to give it a go and i really enjoyed watching it. Very Good Drama!!

How far do our decisions in life take us, and how long do we eventually live by the ripples that such choices create? Flashbacks of a Fool, the debut feature from writer and director Ballie Walsh, takes it upon itself to divulge in such questions, and the answers that it gives, although extremely simplified and a little underwhelming in scope, nevertheless pack a resounding and emotional punch. Taking its time to develop rounded characters that stay within the confines of real life whilst managing to retain a sense of compelling relevancy, the feature tells a story that most audiences should be able to take something from. Sure it sometimes moves at a snail's pace, and suffers from an extremely incoherent third act, yet despite the movie's biggest problems, it's the things that Walsh does right that makes Flashbacks such an enjoyable drama for anyone that likes to explore the darker sides of human desire.

A story with three distinct, crudely sewn together acts, Flashbacks of a Fool tells the story of a has-been actor, now spending most of his days drinking, doing drugs and paying women to sleep with him. Opening with current day Joe Scott (Daniel Craig) the movie introduces us to the waster in a very poignant and effective first act that details Joe's incessant need for indulgence at the expense of everyone around him. This in turn then sets up the real meat of the story, which in turn is set a good twenty or thirty years in the past, back in Joe's teenage years. Through this lens we observe Joe as he chooses the paths that eventually lead to the character we have so far been introduced to. Of course, we know instinctively where it's all going to go, and Walsh's script sometimes gets caught up in details involving this development, but in turn it is these details that give Flashbacks its heart and soul.

The details I'm referring to of course are little things called characters; Walsh makes sure to keep Flashbacks of a Fool rich in characterization, by using only a minimum ensemble. Through this the film manages to convey both the character of Joe and his decisions in an objective light; we see the decisions he makes, and the people that those decisions affect, most of the time without him realizing. Coming full circle with a scene that capitalizes on the real selfish nature of both his and another character's choices, the movie achieves its resonating moment of poignancy through a death that is built upon drawing tears. From here on in Flashbacks never quite reaches the same height, and the pacing and overall structure is bothersome, particularly during a mostly useless third act which staples itself to act two as a kind of conclusion that fails to offer much –if any- resolution.

Such is Flashbacks of a Fool's biggest problem; its framing and structure. Although each segment is finely told and expertly shot, the script always comes across as being informant, but incoherently so. As a result, the middle act never truly feels connected to the two that bookmark it, and obviously certain characterisation is null and negated as a consequence. The performances from Craig, and standout Harry Eden who plays Joe as a teenager, are solid enough, and play to the same grounding personality traits to offer a sense of progression from A to B, yet the script's slapped together and undeveloped feel often distracts away from these highlights. Nevertheless, with a wonderful ensemble cast mostly comprising of minor-star English talents, Flashbacks isn't just a powerful, and relevant story told with three dimensional characters; the cast themselves embody their personas effectively and with great consistency, at least until the third act. But then again, you can't blame them for getting confused with such a massive leap in narrative.

Perhaps one of the standout features of the film however lies in its aesthetic design. From the magnificent on-location settings to the retro costumes, cinematographer John Mathieson has the wonderful job here of capturing it all as best as he can, and that he does. Not only does he frame his wide-angle establishing shots with a serene sense of natural beauty, but there are also many instances of remarkable angles, lens effects and framings of much closer shots that embody similar moods; evoking both emotion towards the characters on screen, and at the same time capturing moments usually punctuated with a song from the nostalgic soundtrack with much needed simplicity. And yet, this is essentially what Flashbacks of a Fool comes down to; it's simplicity. Detailing the paths of a young man and how he came to be the wasted, indulgent has-been that he is, Flashbacks is a simple, but highly compelling and emotive tale about humanity, our desires, choices and companions that travel with us along the way. It may not be a smooth journey by any means, but it's got enough heart to make it a memorable and rewarding one.

• A review by Jamie Robert Ward (http://www.invocus.net)

Although Flashbacks of a Fool is Daniel Craig's pet project – he's the film's executive producer as well as its star – it actually contains surprisingly little of the blonde hunk (though for the ladies out there, you do, admittedly, get to see his bum).

Craig plays Joe Scott, a movie star who has plenty of money and sexual satisfaction in his life, one which - when he is not indulging in coke-addled rumpy pumpy at least - is mostly spent looking out to the sea from his minimalist cliff-top pad.

Yet he has no real friends and seemingly no real future – "there's no role for you ANYWHERE," his agent tells Joe, a moment after he has seen his client throw his prized mobile phone out of a restaurant window.

As Joe begins to wonder what has happened to his life, we are taken back to his adolescent days of first love on the quiet English seaside, to discover what this Brit has in fact been trying to hide from with a life of debauchery and excess in LA.

Even a fan of this film should be able see why some might find it slow and slightly dull, as it does rely on the viewer sharing in a sense of glory in the mystical power of great records, the tragic romance of nostalgia and regret, and the theme of washed-up stardom.

Perhaps that provides limited scope for the film to garner a wide audience, but for those who can find true enjoyment from subtle portrayals of youth and humanity as much as from the more obvious merits of rapid plot progression that will matter little. The direction is superb, the script never feels rushed, and the wistful tone of someone looking back to their yesterdays to get on with their today is rare in its realisation of artistic vision.

There's no big finale, but that's not to say that the conclusion is anything less than perfect in its mood and its timing. A literate film that is there to relish on a quiet afternoon, Flashbacks of a Fool feels more typical of a book by Ian McEwan (though thankfully it bears little in common to the cinematic version of Atonement) than a film starring the current Bond. It could also have you listening to Roxy Music for the rest of your weekend, even if you've never before had the urge to sing along to Bryan Ferry in the bath - a pleasing added bonus.

There is nothing foolish about this film – watch it accordingly.

This film was right up my street. I would recommend it to anyone who is happy and indeed eager to become emotionally involved in a story. I have to say that the lip sync sequence was outstanding and it stayed in my head for days afterwards. I was thinking about the film for days after I'd seen it. There was something incredible for me in the way the whole film was shot but especially the flashbacks to the seaside - it awoke something for me from that era that I had forgotten about from my childhood and I found it strangely comforting. Not that I grew up near the sea but it struck a chord deep inside. How great to be able to capture something so brilliantly and bring it to life for others. I am envious of Baillie WALSH for this but thank God for him also. I look forward to seeing what else can be done.

Daniel CRAIG was stunning in the role, and brought it to life by showing us something we haven't seen in him too often - the sadder/nastier character - although his physique was maybe a little too perfect to make the decadent, fast living, hedonistic junkie completely believable - although I will forgive him for this! Harry EDEN who played the young Joe showed us all the awkwardness of youth and adolescence along with the desperation to grow up and all it's pitfalls. He was stunning on screen and oozed fragility. I would have liked to see the link showing how young Joe became an actor but understand there is a limit to how long a film can reasonably be.

Similarly to NOTES ON A SCANDAL and THE MOTHER - this for me was the kind of film that I could enjoy over and over and each time still feel that I am a seeing something I shouldn't - like a secret - and watching every delicious moment without being noticed myself.

This flick is starting to hit the US cable movie channels. I had never heard of it. I came away moved and impressed by this Daniel Craig project. "Shake your hair girl with your ponytail. Takes me right back..." OTHER: I found myself getting the female actors mixed up, but that's really my only problem with it. They look alike. The SA location fooled me completely and looked great. A refreshing change from the usual gritty rowhouse environment in which many British movies of this type are set. The film "Wish You Were Here" pushes similar buttons as this flick. Loved Ruth's 1970's wardrobe and the arcade that was apparently the center of life for these teens back in the day.

Loved the director's economy of actors. Most others would have had that arcade FILLED with extras cluttering up the scene. But in a memory, are there any extras?