I watched this film with virtually no expectations, simply because I was curious about Daniel Craig outside the action genre. To my great surprise, I thought it was one of the best and most moving performances I have seen from him; largely due to its simplicity and resulting, relatively narrow focus. The greatest surprises, though, were the quality of the direction and the performances from the two young stars playing the main characters in the flashback scenes. The fact that I grew up through the 60s and 70s made this film a lot more accessible to me, with the music of Bowie and Ferry etc. a feature perfectly chosen to highlighted the era's mood just as I recall from those teenage years. I suspect that relatively few moviegoers will rave about this film but to those of us for whom it is contemporary, it triggers strongly emotional memories and maybe - as in my case - a sense of melancholy loss. The precise and skillful direction makes the most of an intense but narrow subject matter and the acting is perfectly matched to the roles. It may never be listed on the roll of greatest-ever movies, but it is, and will remain, one of my favourite movies of all time. It was a few years ago that I first watched it and still, to this day, I find myself frequently remembering and contemplating particular scenes from it. Highly recommended for anyone born in the early 60s who doesn't mind remembering the mistakes, pain and angst of their growing up.

What can you say about this movie that hasn't already been said. Well the first thing is the story for someone who has self some traumatic memories from his young days a kicker. It will definitely send you back couple of years. If you can't relate to that you probably don't know how it is. I mean everyone has his good or bad moments but this is about life changing moments. The story is perfectly set together. Everything flows together in the end. I mean everybody has lost a good chance with a wonderful girl I guess so when you watch it you wonder how the future and friendships might turn out and most important, how you will turn out. At least I did, I'm 22 now so there is something to think back too. And as Craig said in the movie, courage means that you stand still no matter what. Well put for someone who was a month ago dancing with snow flakes. I recommend this for everyone who is looking for a movie about life and the setbacks it can bring us and how to make it right. If you know your chances you know your benefits and this one is definitely a benefit. Hope I gave you a glimpse of what to expect.Take care

I was zapping into this movie about 5 minutes in when it was aired on BBC. At first I wouldn't have expected anything good from a movie with Daniel Craig, but I was more than pleasantly surprised by this story, when it took a turn.First surprise was the scene that triggers main Character Joe Scot's nervous breakdown, when his agent basically fires him (a brilliant performance from a perfectly vicious Mark Strong). Second surprise is a very extended Flashback, which turns out to cover the majority of the story. The young adulthood drama in this Flashback is full of teenage love and dreams and utter drama. But it's done so well, it's a sheer pleasure to follow. Harry Eden is very convincing as a young Craig, and Felicity Jones as the young Ruth is just spraying her youth and confidence all over the screen. Olivia Williams excels as a warm and caring mother, so does the rest of the cast cover their parts in a more than convincing manner. I very much enjoyed this movie. It's a Flashback that might actually take you back to your own teenage dreams some 20 years ago, too.

Joe Scot is a successful British actor in LA, but his life and career are beginning to fall apart. When Joe receives news of the death of Boots, a former best pal from his adolescent years, a crisis approaches that has its roots in a twisted sequence of events that had occurred almost twenty years previously. "Flashbacks of a Fool" relates how an incident in adolescence can taint an outwardly successful life with a sense of failure and remorse. The pivotal episode had involved Boots and a precociously charismatic girl, and the story is told in flashback as Joe remembers how the threesome's triangulated connection had fragmented and rearranged itself after a tragic accident. Unfortunately the film neglects to explore Joe's bond with Boots, and fails to show the friendship's crucial importance. Instead of focusing attention on the central figures, too much time is devoted to the comings and goings of various peripheral characters and Joe's seduction by a sluttish neighbor.Writer/director Baillie Walsh spins his narrative with high quality yarn, and the result goes well beyond interesting, and almost enters the territory of the exceptional. Despite its shortcomings the film has strong emotional content, the motives and relationships of the characters are believable, the acting of the fine cast is excellent, and the cinematography is luscious.