Artivels Undescribable Perfection

Lumsdal Good , But It Is Overrated By Some

AshUnow This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

Rosie Searle It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Theo Robertson This movie by Paul W Anderson hit a lot of controversy when it was released in 1994 with the usual right wing tabloids screaming that this film should be banned since it was encouraging a spate of ram raiding and joyriding . Certainly if you want to ban it on the grounds of quality control no one would miss it much , but as for encouraging anything it'd only encourage people not to go to the cinema to watch anymore films by Channel 4 The film starts with tough tearaway joyrider Billy played by Jude Law in his first starring role being released from his prison cell . Cut to Billy being led down a prison corridor by a couple of screws who put him in an interview room with veteran detective Conway played by Johnathan Pryce " So Billy what has prison taught you ? " A short pause and get that Oscar speech ready Mr Anderson " Don't get caught " Anyone not expecting that far too obvious line ? I had hoped for a second Billy would have said something along the lines of " Since I look like Jude Law and I've been in a prison surrounded by tough lags I've learned my lesson Mr Conway . I now have a rectum like a windsock and can assure you I will cause no more trouble " And that's the problem . The film is trying to sell a good looking , young British cast , the much hyped and quickly forgotten " Brit Pack " but seem absolutely unsuited to their characters as working class anti-heroes from the inner city . After being released from the big house Billy meets his Irish girlfriend Jo played by Sadie Frost . The strange thing is Ms Frost actually looks older here than she does in 2013 which gives the impression Billy has hooked up with some MILF Anyway they decide to carjack a BMW car with a cunning plan of ramming it from behind then when the driver runs up to remonstrate with them they sneak in to the BMW and drive off in it . The problem is this is done on a urban stretch of road and there's no possible way they could have hid anywhere and the two cars are only a couple of yards apart . It's almost as if they can teleport . This sets up a car chase with the police as Billy and Jo taunt the police with " Oh gosh aren't we a couple of posh actors having a bit of a laugh playing a couple of naughty chavs what ? " That's a major failing of the film with only JonathanPryce's human portrayal of Conway and Sean Pertwee's stock villain Tommy being in any way convincing That said seeing a bunch of young toffee nosed thespians straight out of stage school who'd totally brick it on a tough estate playing characters from da ghetto is genuinely amusing . Not so the rest of the film which has a bizarre structure in that if randomly chopped up the film and inserted the scenes in any haphazard manner you'd not notice any difference

Sky Smith I simply love this movie. I read every single review here and I feel there's a fundamental problem with the critiques here. Not to be mean or disagree I think every positive and negative point here was legitimate. That is one reason why this movie is so good, its misunderstood, on a scale from one to ten stars that buys 5 for me. The other 5 stars that makes it a ten in my book? I actually LIVED like this for about 5 years when i was a teenager.It's my guess that none of the reviewers here? Ever have lived the extreme adrenaline junkie, sometimes criminal life of wanton chaos and destruction. A teen aged life of insanity; of skateboards, music, destroying things just to destroy them, carjacking, showing up a rival gang, drugs, jail, graffiti, ram raiding, running with a gang, the attitude. So therefore they cannot truly relate, and pan the movie, which is unfair. I mean, perhaps some of them have, who knows? But I noticed an underlying lack of actual identification with Billy from the people here speaking and that, I feel, is a discredit to the director. To speak ill of something when you cannot identify and relate to the protagonist is a bit underhanded. But its okay. The movie is obviously supposed to evoke an either positive fascination or a negative judgment from the viewer; I would posit that makes it a classic. I lived in the Midwest and when I was a teenager I did EVERYTHING Billy does in this movie. Got away with almost all of it like Billy but caught finally one day running from the cops super high at 4 am, they out ran me... Billy would be one of my best friends if he was real, and so would Jo. I NEVER see people in movies I identify with! It's usually the films about renegades that I identify with the characters and those tend to be very rare? So brownie points to Andersen for hitting the niche so well. Whoever picked the soundtrack actually knows what they're doing and that is very, very, very, rare. Most cheesy action movies just play what everyone wants to hear, this movie actually had identity when it came to the music, akin to Clockwork Orange. This would be one of the 5 soundtracks from the 90's id actually buy. Not a single song in this movie would've been on the radio, and i LOVED that. It wasn't fake poppy alternative and metal like most action movies, there was actual electronic music which is so rare. There's a scene towards the end when Billy and Jo jack a red BMW and the song could've been straight off a progressive trance internet station. Kudos for that. Speaking of Jo i saw someone ragging on this movie because Billy turns Jo down? Yes, it's a loser thing to do, but I was in love with my best friend for 10 years and we never did sleep with each other. Ever slept with your best friend? I have. It's a terrible idea unless you want to make her your wife. Billy had too much work to do to alienate her, which is generally what happens when you sleep with your best friend. I found the single kiss adorable and very reserved which is actually subtly dry and awesome, they always just kiss kiss bang bang in movies its refreshing to see some actual focus. Jude Law pulls it off, you can tell Billy is written to be way more into living his life than worrying about romance and some young men actually do live that way. (I don't , but some do :) The punk scene growing up around here was a lot like that. This was simply not a love story guys its way more akin to something like Akira. Jo's female presence is DIRELY needed; in the respect that their are some kick tail WOMEN out there as well. And not all of those renegade women are just the protagonist's lover. Brownie points as well for making an action movie female in a strong role. I respected her a lot more for accepting his brushoff, getting angry and leaving. Most women would pursue it and make a mess of things, romance can really screw up the dynamic, I used to run with some of the most crazy women in my city and I can speak firsthand. Men and women CAN just be best friends and partners, without the romance, it's a common misconception. This movie illustrates it beautifully. In closing, I'd like to list the 4 movies i watched today to give you an idea of how this movie fits with it's genre of action, I haven't watched any movies in a couple of weeks and got in a specific mood.... First was SFW, second was Over the Edge, third was Shopping, fourth was A Clockwork Orange. I like them all equally and give them all ten stars for fitting a very very tight niche of underground appreciators. Teenage rebellion movies for the win!!!!!!! Shopping fits in JUST FINE. I obviously can't live a life of chaos like this anymore? The costs were too high, so it's great to watch a sentimental movie every once in awhile, and be like, those were the days, be like, YUP i did that, AHAHAHAHA! Instead of going and actually doing it. :) A trip down memory lane, as it were.PS The anti conformity, anti authority, anarchistic nature of this movie is to be commended, you just don't see open rebellion movies anymore. The sad ending fits in right with the pathos and the message, crime doesn't pay. Death happens, and so does karma.

kai ringler This one features a very young Jude Law, and a fairly unknown, Sadie Frost.. an independent film i caught on IFC the other night,, very dark,, lot's of good tracking shots,, especially the opening one.. a group of disenchanted youths crash cars into storefront windows for kicks, and then go shopping,, after 3 months in prison our main guy get's out , and is warned by the Inspector,, so now Billy back out and looking to make a score,, seems to get on the bad side of the new gang leader,, and takes down his store,, so the gang leader decides that he isn't just going to take that lying down,, good chase scenes in a tunnel.. at first i thought that maybe it was the Chunnel,, but i'm not sure.. love the battles that the gangs have with police,, evading them and destroying their cars in the process. overall though it's not for everyone,, it has a niche,, i think you have to look "outside the box" to like this one,, and i'm happy to say i did,, so i liked it very much.

bob the moo Released from prison after three months, Billy wastes no time in getting back into his previous life of stealing and joy riding. Night one back on the streets sees him and girlfriend Jo racing through the streets in a stolen BMW pursued by the police. Not long after he is right back into the "crash and carry" habit, essentially ram-raiding a shop and getting away with as much stuff as possible before the police can respond. However a raid on one shop brings him into direction conflict with gang leader Tommy – who had already arranged a big money deal with Venning to hit the same shop.At the time of release this film benefited from the Daily Mail and other Middle-England tabloids ringing their hands with worry and condemning the film for encouraging youths to replicate the crimes in the film. Over a decade later, stripped of the hype and "controversy", Shopping looks quaintly dated and the portrayal of disaffected youth in a neo-light strobing world of crime and attitude seems old fashioned and a bit silly. This isn't helped by the fact that the script never aspires beyond this basic aim and characters that are never developed beyond the most basic of motivations. The idea that some foreign viewers would watch this and take it to be a realistic portrayal of modern Britain in rather hilarious to me but in fairness, films are under no pressure to be real. This still leaves a fairly simply story with some very poor dialogue and not much material to work with.Anderson's direction is solid enough in terms of style though – which is really where his strengths continue to lie; but as a result he seems to have a limited interest in depth and his input as writer is to blame for the problems with the material. The cast match this by being pretty and famous but not doing much else. Law is skinny and bland and doesn't do anything other than looking like he is having a teenage strop for the majority of the film. Frost isn't much better and it is left to Pertwee to easily steal the film as a memorable if simple tough guy. James is OK while small roles from Bean, Faithful, Pryce and Walker make the film feel crowded with famous faces – not that any of them add much value outside of this.Overall this is a stylish film but one that now looks dated and rather empty. Without the controversy not much is left and the story and characters are too simple to engage most viewers I would suggest. Interesting to see as part of looking at early work for several British actors but probably not interesting or engaging enough to be worth a look on its own merits as a film.