Lucky Break Details

It took director Peter Cattaneo four years to follow up The Full Monty, and he chose his next project wisely. On the surface, this prison comedy has much in common with the earlier film — a group of men bonding through showbiz (here, they stage a prison musical as cover for an escape) — but this is more of a character study than a social satire. With Cold Feet's James Nesbitt, Snatch's Lennie James, Timothy Spall, Bill Nighy and Christopher Plummer as an artistically inclined governor, it's brilliantly cast. And, although the idea of the climactic amateur show acts as a magnet for great farce moments, it's the more subtle relationships between the cons that give the film its depth (Spall's story is especially moving, and even the statutory sadistic screw, played by Ron Cook, is given motivation). For Lucky Break's dramatic strengths, we must applaud writer Ronan Bennett, better known for straight drama, including Face and the BBC's Rebel Heart. It's very funny, too, owing a lot to Porridge, and proof that Cattaneo is a natural with actors. Newcomer Julian Barratt (from comedy duo the Boosh) is especially good as a drama tutor. Not quite as “of its time” as The Full Monty (which marked the sense of optimism of 1997), but this is still a fine film.

"...Amiably engaging....Nesbitt makes a fine leading man....Lightly reflective and consistently entertaining..."