Once Upon A Time In The Midlands on DVD (2002)

A customer from London, england , 09/04/2005

although that may not be saying much. you definitely won't regret renting it although, like me, you may find it weird that the various characters in the Midlands speak a range of accents from around the UK and in particular Kathy Burke's sarf London mum is the brother of Robert Carlyle's character who speaks with a broad Glaswegian accent.

  4 out of 4 people found this review helpful

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Paul G from Bedfordshire , 19/08/2006

With this cast it should have been a very good film but a decent plot was poorly acted and badly scripted. This was just dull - even the actors seemed bored and it was a struggle to make it to the end. Kathy Burke was the only high point.

  3 out of 3 people found this review helpful

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hooleywoman from Lancashire , 04/07/2004

This film needs to decide what it wants to be when it grows up- Black Comedy, social comment, parable?

Although the acting is first rate, the plot is easier to spot than an express train.

I have never heard so many regional accents in one place.

Go home and come back when you know who you are!

  3 out of 5 people found this review helpful

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fiona#1 from WHITSTABLE , 05/10/2003

High Noon meets Life Is Sweet. In Nottingham. Without the visual and audio cues (or, indeed, the name), Once Upon A Time? might not have been so easy to recognise as a Western. But strip the story down to its essentials and you are left with a tale that is as authentic as baked beans ? no-good drifter rides into one-horse town to reclaim the girl he left years ago but she?s now settled down and built a homestead with her new man. There are showdowns, bar-room brawls and plenty of macho posturing, and in the end Good prevails over Bad. Classic Western material, even if it means the ending is somewhat predictable. The Leone-esque camera angles show that someone has been doing his homework, as well as adding another level of humour to certain scenes, and the soundtrack features an evocative hopalong harmonica riff. <br><br>Western references aside, Shane Meadows makes films in the fundamentally British style of Ken Loach and Mike Leigh ? the primary cultural reference points here are Vanessa Feltz and Pot Noodles. Once Upon A Time? isn?t as finely observed as Raining Stones, or as funny as Life Is Sweet, and compared to Meadows? debut, TwentyFourSeven, it is a bit of a lightweight. But it has plenty to recommend it, not least some winning humour ? such as the delightful running gag in the shape of the comedy villains and their inappropriate getaway vehicles. And acting is of a high standard all round ? there are rock solid performances from the ever-reliable Kathy Burke and Ricky Tomlinson, and a star turn from the hugely talented Rhys Ifans. Shirley Henderson is suitably doe-eyed and dippy, and Finn Atkins as Marlene is a star in the making. Only the usually outstanding Robert Carlyle seems to be coasting, but he still carries off his role with aplomb. Overall this is a highly enjoyable film, well worth giving up an hour and a half of your time for.

  1 out of 1 person found this review helpful

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Paul G from Bedfordshire , 19/08/2006

With this cast it should have been a very good film but a decent plot was poorly acted and badly scripted. This was just dull - even the actors seemed bored and it was a struggle to make it to the end. Kathy Burke was the only high point.

  3 out of 3 people found this review helpful

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Fibes from Lancashire , 29/10/2005

With a star studded cast from the UK, I wanted to like this British comedy set in the East Midlands. I didnt! The cast were good, it's just the story wasnt. I did watch it all the way through but I cannot recommend this Film For offering to anyone. That is a real shame given Robert Carlyle, Shirley Henderson, Kathy Burke, Ricky Tomlinson and brief appearances from Vic and Bob! A real disappointment.

  1 out of 1 person found this review helpful

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