Best plans

I was very impressed with this film. The actor playing Joseph was nothing short of brilliant and tender. I found myself wishing that no matter how it ended, Joseph would be taken care of.

I must give props to the director for putting it all together in such a soft and yet gripping way. Someone had a vision with this piece and I hope they got what they were after.

I hope the actor playing Joseph gets the respect he deserves and I feel honored to have stumbled upon this gem.

I would highly recommend this movie to anyone old enough to take the emotional pounding.

"Best Laid Plans" is a gripping film loosely based on the Steinbeck novel "Of Mice and Men". Don't worry, the story differs considerably enough that nothing is spoiled if you're up on your Steinbeck. The story is woven around an odd pair: the mentally challenged gentle giant "Joseph" (phenomenally played by Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, whom you may remember as the very different Mr. Eko in "Lost") and his guardian, the small-time crook "Danny" (Stephen Graham).

The two seem to have a modestly idyllic life, pulling off small capers to make a living and fishing at the local canal. But due to Danny's involvement with the wrong crowd, he gets into a jam where the only way out is for him to submit his buddy Joseph to a very brutal criminal occupation.

The character development and evolution of each man is what makes this interesting to watch. Danny is plagued by guilt for what he is doing to his friend and slowly descending into drug abuse (coke, not meth like in my title--but hey, clever wordplays don't come easy). Kind-hearted Joseph is profoundly altered by the violence he is subjected to. At the same time, each man finds his own love interest, each woman mirroring the harshness and innocence of the 2 men.

"Best Laid Plans" runs the full spectrum of bleakness, brightness, darkness and charm. It begins with a mildly comedic scene but quickly turns heavy when we realize what is at stake. From then on, the film gets heavier and darker, but it remains peppered with some charming & heartwarming scenes involving Joseph. The extreme contrast makes the film unpredictable, suspenseful and sometimes beautifully disturbing. It's the director's ability to mix the two extremes--beauty & brutality--that makes this a poetic experience. If you like character-driven stories set in a tense, gritty environment, then check this one out.

By the way, if you happen to be a pitbull lover (the dog, not the rapper), definitely check this out because it makes a great metaphor for those gentle, lovable mutts who, simply due to their physique and eagerness to please, are subjected to human brutality just like Joseph. I'm sure the metaphor can apply to many things as well. This film will keep you thinking for a long time.

After waiting for Danny (Graham) to pay off his debt the local mob boss (O'Hara) is ready to settle up right now. After Danny's large and strong but feeble minded friend Joseph (Akinnuoye-Agbaje) steps in and saves him. The mob boss offers Danny a way out. All he has to do is let Joseph fight in underground cage fights until Danny's debt is paid. This is a dark and depressing updated version of "Of Mice And Men" mixed with a more serious version of "Snatch". The acting is good and the movie itself is very good and very watchable. Like most British movies I have seen there are scenes of intense action that keeps you glued mixed in with scenes that tend to drag on a little bit longer then needed and you start to lose interest in parts. I am in no way saying that this is a bad movie at all because I did like it, but the flow wasn't smooth to me. Danny reminded my a lot of Tony Montana in this movie in the way that you want to root against him, but find yourself rooting for him and want him to succeed. That may just be me though. Overall, a serious and somewhat slow moving "Snatch" like version of "Of Mice And Men" that is worth a watch. I thought it was good. I give it a B.

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. ***

...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?