Clubbed (2008) Reviews

• Great film. Can't wait to see it again.

  monellion2008-02-01

  Just watched this and was blown away, not sure when it is coming to cinema but can't wait to see it again. There are not many well-known names in the cast but seems to have found the best of the British talent not yet ruined by Hollywood. The initial story is about a factory worker called Danny who is down on his luck and close to suicide, he is recently divorced and even his kids start to see his weaknesses. When he starts to involve himself with some new friends at a boxing gym, who work as club doorman, and explores new relationships with people he can trust, his life starts to improve. With his new found lifestyle other stories start to evolve. Sparky is finding it hard to resist the pressure and the money coming from the local gangland boss Hennessey. Rob is on a crusade of removing the club of Hennessey's drug pushers and Louis, the head doorman tries to keep them in toe including his new found protégé Danny. I was not old enough to remember the eighties but the film felt embroiled with fashion and music that seemed to show the culture of the time. There are not many films I can remember getting goose bumps but I was effected several times throughout this film, which is even more surprising considering its genre. I have just checked out the films website and there is a trailer, so have a look.

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• Just Loved It

  collioure_bee2009-01-16

  To be honest, I reckon this knocks spots off any Guy Richie gangland type film. This is British Cinema at it's best and I was left wanting the film to just go on longer. The way it finishes with a blast of Bob Relf's northern soul number Blowing my Mind to Pieces just left you feeling excited about what had gone before. Yes it is brutal in places, funny too, as well as genuinely scary, not scary in the horror film type way but in the scared for the main characters. Brilliantly acted, the soundtrack of decent soul, Gwen Guthrie's Keep the Fire's Burning, Chic's Everybody Dance and even Willie Tee's One Way Street and the fact I found myself caring about the characters kept me hooked on the film right from the beginning. I can't recommend this film enough if you like a good hard film, well constructed with plenty of nostalgia thrown in.

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• Gripping drama with depth and integrity

  livingjoy2008-09-03

  I really loved this film and I wasn't expecting to! I usually go to the cinema to watch romantic comedies, however I went as my friend had been an investor on the film and had been raving about it for months. From the start I was drawn in. I found myself really involved in the characters lives and I really cared what happened to them. With each twist and turn of the plot I became more and more involved. There were violent moments, which are to be expected with a movie about bouncers, however I felt that they were well done. They were very realistic and really added to the intensity of the plot. All that I can say is that it is wonderful to see British cinema shining again. This is the type of film that the UK should be making - as it is what it is so good at. A film with a strong plot, engaging characters and a unique gritty style. I will certainly recommend this film to others when it is on general release.

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• The Brit Hit of 2008!

  missteek-12008-03-02

  I saw an official pre-release screening of Clubbed at the Prince Charles cinema in London's Leicester Square and like the majority of the capacity audience I queued up outside with, I was totally blown away. I didn't know what to expect as the director was making his Feature debut and on the surface it looked like a period Brit flick. However, anyone expecting a Guy Ritchie/Nick Love style movie set in the 80's would have been very mistaken, and gladly so! Clubbed contains everything that those dreadful British Crime films fails to have, and that's HEART...One might think that a film set on the club doors of a violent midlands city in the thatcher ruined 80's might be a perfect vehicle for a bone breaking blood fest, and on one hand it is, for there is no denying it is a violent film, but the violence in Clubbed (as opposed to other British crime films) is there because it 'has' to be and not because the writer/director had too many 'lovely' testosterone flakes for breakfast. It is there to depict the average night in the life of a club doorman. The violence is therefore a barred window into their souls, their heart. Usually, (much like bad love scenes) scenes of violence can seem like an interlude, a perfect time to nip out for pop corn...but not in Clubbed. I'm sure this is down to the life of the writer Geoff Thompson, a Bafta winning writer who apparently spent almost 2 decades on the doors. Indeed after the screening he took to the stage to inform us that everything we saw actually happened! Frightening really. Thompson, (apart from a rather slow and over narrated first 10 minutes) has scribbled an interesting script. It's basically a story about fear (something we all have) and how to conquer it. "What does one do when ones only fear...is fear itself"? Then we come to the acting, and in my opinion this is where the film really excels, this is where clubbed stands apart from the usual suspects. Sadly the film industry, especially here in Britain is far too formulaic and it's all too easy to imagine what clubbed might have looked like if the non-risk taking hands of Ritchie or Love (and others). Jason Stathem and Danny 'is' Dyer stamping their mockney hard man (really as hard as candy floss) reebok classics all over it. No, rest assured, there certainly wont be a free copy of 'Clubbed' with every issue of NUTS or LOADED magazine. Thank god the producers took the risks and cast an ensemble of absolute ability over marketability. What we see is easily Colin Salmons finest performance (and the closest to himself apparently), a wonderfully still leading presence in the shape of Mel Raido, a fine subtle hero etched out by Shaun Parkes, and the absolute screen stealing electricity of Scott Williams, a truly iconic performance that will surely be remembered for time to come in the manner of Begbee (or sick boy if only for the hair). I hope this film is marketed correctly and in the right category for if it is, it will surely be a hit and the producers deserve it to be just that. Look out for it...Oh, and did I mention the amazing soundtrack!

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• Tough and moving, a really great film!

  nooclar2008-02-04

  I was invited along to a test screening of "Clubbed" earlier this year and have to admit that I was blown away by it. The makers gave a brief speech up front about the history of the film. It is based on a best selling book and is a true story. The film is much better looking than I was expecting. It is more like a gritty Working Title kind of film than a Ken Loach. It is the story of a man who is brutally attacked in front of his children, his life falls apart then he meets the highly enigmatic Louis (Colin Salmon from Alien vs Predator) and is drawn into the world of the nightclub. The film picks up a massive pace then as events begin to roller coaster and things start to go really wrong! There is a great twist too! There was a lot to like about this film. It looks great and it really really moved me. Especially knowing it is true. It is quite harrowing in places but has enough humour in it not to drag you down. The soundtrack is spectacular and has tracks from Chic, Sister Sledge and Forget Me Nots, the Men in Black tune. The cast is great. I have not seen the lead guy in anything before but he is AMAZING! Looks like Mel Gibson meets Daniel Day Lewis. Colin Salmon is in there too and this has to be the performance of his life. To give a balanced review I guess I should put some negatives in but it just really moved me. I was expecting a film about a thug but found a film about a guy who just happens to be in the wrong place and wrong time and is forced to make some really big decisions. There is some fairly heavily violent scenes in there, one springs to mind in particular where the woman next to me put her paper over her head, and the language is quite heavy. But there was a big age range in the theatre and everyone seemed to love it. it got a standing ovation at the end! The film makers said it will be out towards August or September. I think this film is the next Long Good Friday. Actually it is a bit like a cross between the Full Monty and The Long Good Friday. Go see this film!!!

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