Best Laid Plans

STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning ** Sunday Night * Monday Morning

Danny (Stephen Graham) is a scally low life in debt to big time gangster Curtis (David O' Hara) who is threatening to hurt his mentally impaired friend Joseph (Adowayle Agogoboyo Agabala) if he doesn't repay the debt soon. Danny sees no other way out, but to get Josepth to fight in illegal underground cage matches, which he does. But as he delivers more and more, the stakes get raised higher and higher, until Danny is forced to try and find a way out.

Best Laid Plans is a curious effort, that starts by setting itself up one way and from the way it opens, seems to employ a different style to what you were expecting. But, while it ultimately manages to be an effective drama thriller, it remains a film that is unsure of it's tone and style and where it wants to go with itself.

One theme it does settle on and seems to want to stick with through out, is the theme of disability and people with mental impairment problems, which leads to some uneasy and challenging viewing through out, as Joseph develops a romance with a fellow impaired person called Isabel (Maxine Peake), coming up against various trials and tribulations because of it. It's a surprising and daring theme to want to stick in a tale like this, and it doesn't help how morally reprehensible the lead character emerges, using his so called friend to fight in cage matches so he can pay off his grubby little debt to some gangster, while developing a relationship with call girl Lisa (Emma Stansfield) that takes an unconvincing turn at the end.

The film aims to be a simple 'down on his luck ne'er do well trying to get out of bother' tale, that ends up being a dark look in to how callous and predatory human instincts can be. For all this, it remains a fairly well written, ambitious film with some reliably steely lead performances from the two lead stars. It's dogged determination to make the viewer feel a bit uncomfortable really is a blessing and a curse for it, though. ***

One can pay all the usual compliments to British Film Making e.g underplayed, gritty,thoughtful, etc. but I think this movie is exceptional. The story line is well crafted and the acting from all participants, is superb. The "Mentally Disabled" roles played by Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje and Maxine Peake are sensitively portrayed and Stephen Graham is,as always,brilliant! The fight scenes are particularly "Squirm Making"and the dreary Nottingham scenics were well chosen and cleverly filmed. I find it hard to believe that it only rates 6 on the IMDb site! Great work from you British Film Makers Keep'em coming!

Not sure what film Dodgy-Milk was watching, but it wasn't the same film as me. Maybe something like "War Horse" would be more to their taste...

This is a gritty character study about hopes & dreams, manipulation, deceipt, selfishness, betrayal but ultimately love, albeit it a little unorthodox. It is "loosely" (and I mean very loosely) based on Stienbeck's "Of Mice and Men" and if you're familiar with the book you'll get it but it's used more as an idea for the film, rather than a screenplay.

I thoroughly enjoyed it, I thought the main performances from Steven Graham, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje and Maxine Peake were excellent with strong support performances from the other members of the cast particularly David O'Hara who is in menacing form. Throughout the film, it's funny, uncomfortable, tender and shocking in equal measure...

It is a very "British" film and if you're expecting a "Hollywood" blockbuster because you've seen Graham as Al Capone in the brilliant Boardwalk Empire, this might not be the film for you.

It's a good 8/10 from me and I would definitely recommend to anyone who likes "proper" films...

...as opposed to bittersweet. This British film was advertised on the DVD cover as being in the same vein as Lock, Stock and two Smoking Barrels, or Snatch. As a result I saw it unprepared, which was a good thing. This film is not a crime comedy at all, but a true blue drama. The story is loosely (I would say very loosely) based on Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, featuring a scrawny low-life and a gentle giant who share the same dream. In places it also reminds of Schulberg's The Harder They Fall.

Typically for this buddy movie, it is the smart one of the duo who keeps on dragging doom over the two in his quest for self-destruction. Can he redeem himself before the inevitable sad ending?

This really is very good but I think they've misjudged the trailer. This isn't really a gangster thriller or a fighting movie - it is actually a reimagining/reworking of Of Mice and Men.

A petty criminal, Danny (Stephen Graham), cares for a giant of a man with learning difficulties, Joseph (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje). When Danny gets in trouble with a local crime boss he persuades Joseph to take part in a series of illegal cage fights in order to pay off his debt. OK, so far it sounds like a gangster/fighting flick, I grant you, but what has been left out of the trailer is the sub plot about Joseph falling in love with a young woman, also with learning difficulties, played by Maxine Peake.

I say 'learning difficulties' as I have no idea what the acceptable terminology is these days. Special needs? Luckily the film is down-to-earth and honest and doesn't pussyfoot around like I am. The characters speak as they would in real life, which does result in one very funny line which everyone in the audience laughed at but wouldn't dare repeat outside of the cinema*.

The subplot is handled with skill and care. The actors all turn in fine performances, especially Stephen Graham as the quick-witted but ultimately self-destructive central character and Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje as the simple giant, Joseph. Their relationship, as you discover more and more about it, it utterly believable and is the central spine of the whole film. It's not a life changer but it is fine piece of work and well worth checking out if you get the chance.