Noutions Good movie, but best of all time? Hardly . . .
Sexyloutak Absolutely the worst movie.
Catangro After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.
Allison Davies The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.
Chilla Black i picked this up in a charity shop, one of them freebie CD's that you occasionally find - this one was part of the 'Michael Caine Collection' given away with some British newspaper once. Anyway i have spent all week watching the 1988 adaptation of 'Jack The Ripper' starring MC, so thought i would follow it up with this...in defence of this movie, the plot is a bit daft, i agree, but it is a great experience to see Leslie Grantham and Caine acting for large periods of time in the same scenes. I also thought that the addition of that guy who plays the General in the Star Wars movies IV-VI was good too, as he is a largely underused actor, in my opinion.so whilst i possibly agree the film is weak, the chance to see a few quality British actors together on camera is worth it. I also find it quite surprising that a big time actor like Caine would get caught up in such a trivial movie filmed in the UK. There was a reason for the Ripper TV movie, as it was a semi-investigative journalist type film to 'commemorate' (not sure if that is the best phrase to use) the 100 years since Jack The Ripper.Read earlier here that someone wanted to know whether public schools like that exist. Well i studied music at a pre-1992 UK university and believe me - staff like that depicted in this film DO exist.
Paul Myland Possibly the worst movie I have ever made myself watch. The supermarket near my office recently had a stack of DVD's for 97p and the cast list caught my eye and parted me with my money. Tim Healey has the sense to get despatched early into proceedings but this woeful vehicle for Michael Caine and Edward Fox doesn't let them off so soon. I note that the director's children appear in this and that none of them have found a great deal of movie work since. Although this only cost me a very small sum of money, I will never get back the almost-2 hours it took me to watch this rubbish. I'd send it to the local church jumble sale but some other poor sap would have an equally unfulfilling afternoon, even if they only pay 10p for it.
mjh_uk-1 I think the film has great atmosphere, with its contrasting seediness of the gangsters and the magnificence of the cathedral and its music. Joffrey's character, too, is interestingly developed, and gives credibility as to why he should be drawn to character like that of Haskell. I do not see Haskell's failure to kill Joffrey as inconsistent. Rather, it suggests that Haskell has some redeeming qualities and, like the rest of us, is not all bad. One can understand why he would hesitate to kill a child, not least because he senses the boy's admiration for him. Kenneth Colley provides an excellent supporting role . His willingness to die without further treatment in order to help his ex-wife financially suggests a certain nobility of character. I certainly do not agree with the reviewer's dismissal of the film as second rate. It has a style and quality of its own which makes it enjoyable to watch and provokes thought.
Popey-6 This really wouldn't look out of place as a student film. Leaden script, poor acting and a plot that never really gets going are just a few of the things that can be said. Caine is OK, but you get the feeling that the rest of the cast just don't care. In fact with better production values and a little more believable action this film could have been at least half-way decent. In the mid- to late-sixties there may have been a call for this type of film but not now. Then, it would have been slightly dangerous and risque, perhaps even exciting (then again perhaps not). Now it collects dust as it sits on the shelves of the local video outlet (really - it does!). The film is just a shadow of what could have been.
