I thought I'd rent this DVD, as I often like a film set in a part of the world that I can relate to. I also decided to hire it because it was a sure score with my girlfriend because she likes Sean Bean. But she was put off right from the start after he wouldn't stop walloping people!
The film is a tale of a young lad Billy (can’t remember his acting name) who without much choice gets heavily involved with the gangsters in Essex who controls nightclub security and hence supplies their shipments of illicit substances. Sean Bean plays Jason a nut case, who has been inside for 5 years and didn't tell any tales on his chums whilst doing time, but comes back in a bad mood because he doesn't get much reward for his silence and annoyed because all his boys are minted. THIS IS A TRUE STORY. It’s about an absolute hooligan (played very well and ‘realistic’ by Sean Bean) who lives life on the edge, treats women terribly and doesn’t trust anyone. He’s not very smart either! The film takes a while to get going and there’s no real story for almost the first hour. There are just different scenes of violence and Bean re-establishing himself and making more money and taking over from different gangs. In these scenes you meet new characters, Beans sidekick (played by the bloke who robbed the train and did one to Acapulco with Phil Collins in Buster) and his long, suffering girlfriend (Alex Kingston – the English girl in E.R.), who are memorable. The film evolves into a large organisation of different characters and you never really can tell who is in the driving seat. Bean just seems to want more power and gets more and more ambitious, in a ‘Scarface’ stylee. The film builds up to a climax, which ‘twists’ like many films do these days, but without De Palma’s great direction. This film is trying to be a bit too clever, but then again this is a true story, which is quite remarkable. You finish the film feeling sorry for the star Billy who is a nice guy that is asked a favour just to drive Sean Bean around the town and that sees an opportunity to make some extra cash but from the very start he has no choice but to be involved. The film is a hard-hitting drama, which will have no Cult status, but is very disturbing and memorable all the same.
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Production Year: 2002 - Thriller - Director: Bharat Nalluri, Rob Bailey, Andy Wilson - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Matthew MacFadyen, Keeley Hawes, David Oyelowo, Peter Firth, Jenny Agutter, Lisa Faulkner
Thriller - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Timothy West, Neil Morrissey, Tara Fitzgerald, Annette Crosbie, Pauline Quirke, Rob Brydon, Denise Van Outen, John Thomson, Kevin Whately, David Suchet
Production Year: 2002 - Thriller - Director: K.C. Bascombe - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Jesse James, Rachel Skarsten, Charles Powell, Linda Purl, Kevin Zegars
Helpful op. Film was ok but not as good as the book.Daren
moose 13.02.2001 00:36
Hi! Your opinions are excellent for a newcomer. Try & get your name known (read, rate & comment on others' ops) - you will get higher reads (and they are pretty good so keep it up & people will continue to read them). Also try & split up your work into shorter paragraphs - makes it much easier to read. Hope this helps, Tracey ;-) (ps. I am a relative newcomer to Ciao & I have found this has helped me loads!).
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Rettenden, Essex, in which three local drug dealers were found blasted to death by shotguns. Driving for ex-con Jason Locke (Sean Bean) was just another job for Billy Rey...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
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![Essex Boys [DVD] [2000]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/78532367.jpg "Essex Boys [DVD] [2000]")
Feb 12th, 2001
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