Fortunately for me IMDb exists. I found this movie by thinking that Croupier was pretty good and to find another movie directed by Mike Hodges.Mike Hodges was born in 1932 making him 81 when he directed this dated thing he should have retired 20 years earlier. Croupier was a lot better movie over all but still a bit of a gay basher--not a hint of ambiguity in it's straight sexy world but this thing is down right offensive. When this unlikeable dope dealer hipster slices his throat right after he was anally raped---(I had thought he might be the one that was beat up-- and had recovered). I hit IMDb and informed pulled the plug.Later in the movie they dress corpses in bras during the revenge...AVOID.DO NOT RECOMMEND... read the other negative reviews....

Okay, so let me be up front. If you like the shoot em' up, get the revenge in 10 bullets or less kind of movie, don't go here. It will be disappointing and make you think it took revenge to a caviar artistic level. However if you like the deeper looks into revenge, what it means, etc. then this is it, hands down. I don't think they unpacked the revenge piece as much as Korean or Hong Kong movies but they do a damn good job. Owen sells his part, you can believe the characters and the inciting incident is hard to stomach but it is a break from tradition. The best way to describe this is simple; if you've eaten an artichoke before you know it is a pain to get through the leaves, each leaving you only partly satisfied. However, if you hold strong, peel until you get to the center, you are rewarded with a tasty treat. The director/producer of this flick do the same thing; stay with it, enjoy the tangled characters and when you get to the end, reflect on a simple question: If memories are the soil of revenge, what good is revenge if your memories are as clouded as London fog? Great stuff.

Sigh. If you want intrigue, dashing villains, homicidal maniacs, and dark British humor, watch Snatch again. If you like tough guys nurturing man-crushes and psychoanalyzing one another, get out your blankie and cuddle with the kittie-cat because you're in for a great ride.Portraying a broken man, Clive Owen is capable with his mannerisms and facial expressions but doesn't have enough character development to stretch his legs. Malcolm McDowell is misused as a sadistic buggerer who sets the film into action and then absents himself from its plot until he kindly explains himself at its bland finale.Rather than "act", characters eagerly provide their insights into one another's psyches - "you want to die, don't you?" - which doesn't seem very masculine. Characters speculate on what it might be like to bash into one another but the film avoids showing actual conflict. I was stunned to pause it and find there were only 20 minutes left because from a viewer's perspective nothing had happened since the first 20 minutes of the film elapsed.

The screenplay for this intertwined, revelation-by-revelation unraveling thriller is quite excellent. Davey Graham, the first major character we meet, is, on the one hand, charming, and on the other, a drug dealer and petty thief. His brother, Will Graham, who we meet as the film progresses, in a crime situation in which he is not directly involved and in which he acts as a sort of hero, was, at one time, a serious criminal known for his toughness and killings. He is lamenting his past life, and lives in a camper in a rural area far from the demanding city. Will has closed his heart to the professional and personal emotions associated with his past life. We learn that at first he continued to be in touch with the woman he loved, but then stopped writing her. He was also very close to his brother. For a time, he maintained their relationship by telephoning, but more recently has neglected any type of communication.Davey and Will, as portrayed by Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Clive Owen, are likable characters, but because they are criminal types an emotional attachment to them - on the part of the viewer - is guarded. This serves as a foundation for the more lurid aspects of the story which might have been distasteful or emotionally overwhelming had they been more innocent types.Davey, who is heterosexual, is totally unaware of his nemesis, and is fiercely raped by him while two men hold him down. He finds the attack so impossible to deal with that he commits suicide. It is difficult to understand the feelings associated with rape and how they could cause the suicide of someone who would not normally consider such an act. Rape is a tragic matter, infrequently examined in films. This screenplay effectively deciphers the issue through explanation of the character's lives.After the rape and suicide, Will, who knows nothing about them, has a spiritual experience and believes that he sees Davey in the waiting area of a boat crossing terminal, a totally unlikely location. This leads to the core of the film: Will's investigation and ultimate resolution of Davey's rape by killing the rapist, and Will having to deal with his past and the complex emotions associated with it.The sometimes slow pace of the film adds to the overall mood of characters being dragged down into situations they really do not want. The violence, which they both endure and cause, is, accordingly, an injustice and a result of their lives. In the end, Will finds that blocking out emotions only results in the dam overflowing.The direction and performances, overall, are very good.