Quadrophenia
|
120 minutes
UK (1979) Cert 15 starring Phil Daniels, Mark Wingett, Philip Davis, Leslie Ash, Garry Cooper, Toyah Willcox, Sting, Michael Elphik, Ray Winstone. directed by Franc Roddam |
Jimmy Cooper (Phil Daniels) is primed to go off the edge. The Italian scooter, bespoke suit and the other trappings of being Mod make for a subversive rebellion against his British working class surroundings. But even the pills and fleeting moments with his mates don't ease the assault of growing pains that are deepening his alienation. It only gets messier when he finally joins one of the headline making seaside clashes of 1964 between the Mods and their mortal enemies, the motorcycle-cruising, leather-clad Rockers. A reality check of his idol, the smooth Ace Face hastens Jimmy's identity crisis. Among the most definitive films on a youth cult, this human drama adapted from and featuring The Who's seminal Quadrophenia (including the anthemic "My Generation," "The Real Me," and "Love Reign O'er Me"), bursts with all the tragic frustration and irrepressible euphoria of youth on the verge of adulthood. |
Scum |
98 minutes
UK (1979) Cert 18 starring Ray Winstone, Mick Ford, Martin Philips, John Blundell, Phil Daniels, Tony London directed by Alan Clarke |
Ray Winstone stars in Alan Clarke's blistering film about a British borstal school's descent into chaos "I'm the daddy now!" screams Winstone's young offender Carlin. And who's going to argue with him when he's just smashed his adversary's face in with a sockful of billiard balls? Scum is a ruthless condemnation of the British borstal system. First produced as a TV drama for the BBC in 1977, it was shelved for being both "too realistic" and a "work of fiction". In other words, it scared the hell out of the suits. Writer Roy Minton then took the script to Alan Clarke to make as a feature film with a largely unknown cast. The film effectively uses stark brutality to demonstrate its point: that if you treat people like scum they'll behave like scum. And brother, does Clarke make his case as Carlin works his way through an unrelenting battery of rape, racism and razor-blades, corrupt officials and cruel humour to become the school's top dog. |
That Summer |
94 minutes 1979 Starring: Tony London, Jon Morrison, Ray Winstone, Emily Moore, Julie Shipley Directed by: Harley Cokliss Cert 15 |
Follow up to Scum. In this British drama, a teenager gets out of reform school and heads for a seaside vacation with three friends. Their fun is interrupted by a gang of Scottish punks who come to cause trouble. The two groups tangle, but eventually the hero is able to prove to his girl that he is a good fellow and win her heart. |
Ladies and Gentlemen the fabulous Stains |
87 minutes
Canada (1981) starring Diane Lane, Ray Winstone, Laura Dern, Peter Donat, David Clennan, Paul Simonon, Fee Waybill, Steve Jones directed by Lou Adler |
A troubled teenage girl and her two pals decide to vent their repressed and roiling emotions via a punk rock band, the Fabulous Stains. Though utterly devoid of talent, the Stains manage to get a gig touring with another punk band, the Looters (comprised of former-Sex Pistols Paul Cook and Steve Jones, Clash bassist Paul Simonon, and Tubes vocalist Fee Waybill). Thanks to clever promotions of their agent, the Stains become popular, even though they never waxed a single. The agent then exploits their popularity at every turn and transforms the talentless Stains into national sensations and causing them untold stress and inner turmoil. |
Tank Malling |
93 minutes
(1989) Starring: Jason Connery, Amanda Donohoe, Ray Winstone Directed by: James Marcus Cert 15 |
Tank Malling (Ray Winstone) is the name of a tough newspaper reporter who has just gotten out of prison for a framed-up charge of perjury. Nowadays, he is covering the racetrack beat. When Helen Searle (Amanda Donohoe), a society call-girl, looks him up and begins telling him a story of high-class corruption and wrongdoing, it attracts the attention of a pretty grim customer (Glen Murphy), who begins murdering people who are important to the story. Only the publisher of gay bar magazines is willing to print Tank's story. Fortunately for Tank, he has a knack for making lowlife friends both as a prisoner and as a reporter. These East End characters come to his aid. This crime thriller is packed with British non-theatrical celebrities |
Ladybird Ladybird
|
101 minutes
United Kingdom (1994) Cert 18 starring Crissy Rock, Vladimir Vega, Sandie Lavelle, Mauricio Venegas, Ray Winstone, Clare Perkins directed by Ken Loach |
Maggie has had four children (by four different fathers) removed by Social services because of a previous violent relationship. When she meets Jorge, a gentle Latin American refugee, she gradually sees her chance of happiness, but her history still haunts her. Once entangled with the social work bureaucracy, she finds it difficult to break free. Ladybird, Ladybird is an emotional and harrowing story of a woman's fight to keep her children and her relationship intact. |
Yellow |
13 minutes
UK (1995) written and directed by Simon Beaufoy, Billie Billingham starring Ray Winstone |
On a car journey a little girl, Natalie, torments the man who is driving and flirting with her mother. She subjects the man, who is not her father, to a very public humiliation. Starring Ray Winstone and directed by Simon Beaufoy, writer of The Full Monty and Bille Eltringham, this film explores the combination of naivety and power possessed by young children. |
Masculine Mescaline |
1996
UK 24 minutes Starring: Ray Winstone, Emily Lloyd, Ewen Bremner and John Thaw Cert 15 |
A London 'wide boy' alcoholic is forced to face his responsibilities by a 'heavenly' messenger. Delivers in the 24 minute running time what most films fail to do so in 100 minutes. |
Face |
105 minutes
United Kingdom (1997) Cert 18 starring Robert Carlyle, Ray Winstone, Steven Waddington, Philip Davis, Damon Albarn, Lena Headey directed by Antonia Bird |
Five criminals with varying degrees of experience are brought together and torn apart by a major robbery in this hard-edged British drama. Ray (Robert Carlyle) was once a leftist political activist whose ideals were dashed by England's increasing political conservatism, while his close friend Dave (Ray Winstone) is an East End hard man with a long history in crime. Ray and Dave plan a heist that they expect will leave them set for life: the robbery of a major London security firm. Ray and Dave's new associates are Ray's one-time cellmate Stevie (Steven Waddington); Jason (Damon Albarn), whose uncle is veteran mobster Sonny (Peter Vaughn); and Julian (Philip Davis), an unstable young criminal with more ambition than experience. After the break-in, the gang discovers that their haul was far less than expected, which leads to infighting among the thieves over who should get how much, with violence and betrayal as the inevitable result. Face marked the screen debut for Damon Albarn, already well-known in England as the lead singer for the successful rock band Blur |
Nil by Mouth
|
128 minutes
UK (1997) Cert 18 starring Ray Winstone, Kathy Burke, Charlie Creed-Miles, Laila Morse, Edna Doré, Chrissie Cotterill directed by Gary Oldman |
Gary Oldman makes his directorial debut and it is a masterwork. Winstone is a violent alcoholic who rules his house with his fists, lashing out at his wife (Burke, an astonishingly good, award-winning performance) and her drug addict brother (Creed-Miles) and terrorizing the rest of the family. Oldman says there is an autobiographical element to the film and sets it in south-east London's poverty-stricken Deptford area, using many of the locals as extras. There is amazing and consistent power here, the performances are jaw-dropping in their reality, and Oldman's direction is so sure and strong that it creates images and situations that are branded into the memory. An outstanding piece of film-making. |
Final Cut |
93 minutes
United Kingdom (1998) Cert 18 starring Ray Winstone, Jude Law, Sadie Frost, Holly Davidson, John Beckett, Mark Burdis directed by Dominic Anciano, Ray Burdis |
Eleven friends gather at the wake of a successful writer Jude (Jude Law). His wife, Sadie (Sadie Frost), explains that Jude was making a film detailing all of their lives. She forces them to watch the film, which makes some startling revelations that eventually pit husbands against wives and friends against friends. The film then ultimately produces some rather shocking facts about the circumstances surrounding Jude's death. Directing/writing duo Dominic Anciano and Ray Burdis, who also star in the film, chose to name the characters in the film after their actor counterparts, blurring the line between fantasy and reality to disturbing effect. |
Martha Meet Frank Daniel and Laurence |
88 minutes
United Kingdom (1998) Cert 15 starring Monica Potter, Rufus Sewell, Tom Hollander, Joseph Fiennes, Ray Winstone, Debora Weston directed by Nick Hamm |
Smarting from a painful break-up Martha (Potter) moves from Minneapolis to London in search of a new start. En route, she meets wealthy music biz executive Daniel (Hollander) who immediately decides he's in love. This prompts his mate Frank (Sewell) to try and seduce Monica himself, but it's their quiet chum Laurence (Fiennes), a Bridge instructor, who she eventually falls for. Essentially, it's a series of punchy vignettes, each told from a different guys' perspective. Characters are nicely drawn and interestingly employed (Frank's an ailing actor, Laurence teaches bridge) and Potter herself stays just the right side of kooky. Stealing the show however is Ray Winstone as Laurence's 'therapist' neighbour, required to dispense sage advice at all times of the day and night. |
The Sea Change |
88 minutes 1998 Starring:Sean Chapman, Maryam D'Abo, Ray Winstone, Andree Bernard, Ampero Moreno Directed by: Michael Bray Cert 15 |
British romantic comedy in which arrogant banker Rupert (Sean Chapman) doesn't know that his girlfriend Alison (Maryam D'Abo) is pregnant. Rupert promises to return on the same day from a Barcelona business trip, but the plane is re-routed to Madrid, where he's forced to share a room with a working-class chap, Charles (Ray Winstone). It's a tense twosome since he chose to chew out Charles on the plane. |
Woundings |
102 minutes 1998 UK Also Known As: Brand New World (USA) Starring: Noah Taylor Johnathon Schaech Sarah-Jane Potts Guy Pearce Ray Winstone Directed by: Roberta Hanley Cert 15 |
Set in a futuristic world, Woundings unfolds on a remote, post-apocalyptic island under rigid militaristic rule and occupied by the lonely and shell shocked soldiers who conquered it. Hoping to colonise the island, the Government has recruited young women from the mainland and sent them there to join the soldiers and help build a place they can call home. But the island will soon become a battlefield again as the scene is set for a clash of wills and desires, of political ambition and personal betrayal. This is a stunning anti war drama based on the award winning novel by Jeff Noon. Filmed on The Isle of Mann |
Five Seconds to Spare |
98 minutes 1999 Starring: Ray Winstone, Max Beesley, Valentina Cervi, Gary Condes Directed by: Tom Connolly Cert 15 |
William (Max Beesley) is a young musician who dreams of making it big with his rock band The Alaska Factory. But his bandmates want him to write more commercial music, and their frightening record producer Vincent (Ray Winstone) seems to be sliding further into drug-addicted instability. William's luck takes another nosedive when he witnesses the bizarre death of a fellow musician--a murder seemingly committed by a pair of dwarves. William must piece together the apparent connections between Vincent, the murder, and a 1970s punk band called The Dwarves of Death. Based on the bestselling cult novel by Jonathan Coe. |
Agnes Browne |
92 minutes
United States (1999) Cert 15 starring Anjelica Huston, Marion O'Dwyer, Niall O'Shea, Ciaran Owens, Roxanna Williams, Carl Power, Ray Winstone, Arno Chevrier directed by Anjelica Huston |
Huston, who spent much of her childhood in Ireland, returns to the Emerald Isle with this slight comedy drama about a struggling mum. When her husband dies Huston is left to provide for seven children on a meagre income from her fruit and veg stall. Her problems multiply when she borrows money from loan shark Winstone to pay for the funeral. But support from best friend O'Dwyer, a new romance with French baker Chevrier and a lifelong dream to meet Tom Jones help maintain her spirit of survival. |
Darkness Falls |
90 minutes 1999 UK Starring: Tim Dutton, Sherilyn Fenn, Ray Winstone Directed by: Gerry Lively Cert 18 |
Smalltime racketeer Mark Driscoll (Tim Dutton) returns to his Isle of Man home on the eve of an important bit of economic thievery -- and if he fails by morning to make a substantial deposit into the account of a ruthless gangster, he's going to be English history. But when he gets home to his palatial estate he finds his beautiful wife, Sally (Sherilyn Fenn), in the company of an agitated neighbor, John (Ray Winstone), who has been secretly locking doors and disabling alarms when Sally wasn't looking. Once Tim enters, John makes his intentions ever so gradually clear as he begins a circuitous line of questioning regarding his comatose wife's recent car accident. Before they know it, Tim and Sally are bound, gagged, and forced to listen to a version of the accident that will forever change their lives. |
Fanny and Elvis |
111 minutes
United Kingdom/France (1999) Cert 15 starring Kerry Fox, Ray Winstone, Ben Daniels, David Morrissey, Jennifer Saunders, Colin Salmon directed by Kay Mellor |
Kate (Fox) is a thirtysomething Yorkshire writer who fears the ticking of her biological clock. When her lecturer husband runs off with a student, she is left heartbroken and broke, and ends up taking in the other woman's husband, cockney car salesman Dave (Winstone), as a lodger, out of reluctant convenience. His fertility gives her ideas that he may be the man to provide her with the child she craves for, but their opposite lifestyles gives her cause for concern. While the film is slight and predictable, the leads are charming and there are some well-observed moments. |
Love, Honour and Obey |
103 minutes
United Kingdom (1999) Cert 18 starring Sadie Frost, Jonny Lee Miller, Jude Law, Ray Winstone, Sean Pertwee directed by Dominic Anciano, Ray Burdis |
A riotous burst of British originality, "Love, Honour & Obey" looks to do for crooks what "The Full Monty" did for the unemployed. The brain-child of character actors Dominic Anciano and Ray Burdis, who produced, directed, wrote and acted in the film, "Love, Honour & Obey" focuses on the lives and relationships of karaoke-singing North London gangsters as seen through the eyes of Jonny (Jonny Lee Miller), a working class bloke who asks his childhood pal Jude (Jude Law) to score him a job working for Jude's crime boss uncle Ray (Ray Winstone). One thing leads to another and Jonny soon finds himself happily shoulder-deep in theft, extortion, money laundering and, naturally, karaoke. It's a seductive if dangerous lifestyle that inevitably leads to conflict with a rival gangster named Sean (Sean Pertwee) and his mad-dog henchman Matthew ("Notting Hill"'s Rhys Ifans). The film also features hilariously top-notch performances from Kathy Burke and Sadie Frost (aka Mrs. Jude Law) as typically accommodating mob wives. |
There's Only One Jimmy Grimble |
105 minutes
UK (1999) Cert U starring Robert Carlyle, Ray Winstone, Gina McKee, Lewis McKenzie, Jane Lapotaire, Ben Miller directed by John Hay |
Jimmy Grimble (Lewis McKenzie) is a 15-year-old misfit living in Manchester, where nothing seems to go his way. Jimmy is constantly threatened by the school bully, "Gorgeous" Gordon (Bobby Power); he's also not sure what to make of Johnny (Ben Miller), a lost-in-the-ozone biker who is dating Donna (Gina McKee), Jimmy's mom; and he has a crush on one of his classmates, Sara (Samia Ghadie), who seems to like him, but his powers of speech invariably fail him when he tries to talk with her. Like most Mancunians, Jimmy loves football, but instead of rooting for world champions Manchester United, he's a fervent supporter of the Manchester City team. Jimmy also loves to play football, but while Eric (Robert Carlyle), the coach of his school's team, thinks he has potential, "Gorgeous" is already a skilled player, and when Gordon's father informs the school he'll make a large and much-needed donation if their team makes it to the Manchester Schools Cup games, it looks like Jimmy will be riding the bench for a while. But when an old woman gives Jimmy a pair of shoes that once belonged to one of Manchester City's greatest players, his skills on the field begin to change. Jane Lapotaire, and John Henshaw. |
The War Zone |
98 minutes
UK (1999) Cert 18 starring Ray Winstone, Lara Belmont, Freddie Cunliffe, Tilda Swinton, Aisling O'Sullivan, Colin Farrell directed by Tim Roth, Ray Burdis |
Tim Roth's directorial debut, based on the novel by Alexander Stuart (who adapted the screenplay), is not for the faint of heart. When a seemingly normal family moves from London to rural Devon, 15-year-old Tom (Freddie Cunliffe) stumbles into a shocking secret concerning his father (Ray Winstone) and 17-year-old sister, Jessie (Lara Belmont). Afraid of breaking up the family and upsetting his mother (Tilda Swinton), who has just given birth to a baby girl, he crawls into a shell and remains there, confused and alienated. Eventually, the situation boils over and the truth is exposed. Roth shows that he has the ability to draw extremely emotional performances from professional actors Winstone and real-life partner Swinton, as well as from newcomers Belmont and Cunliffe, who provide the film with its true heart. A brilliantly harsh and tragic family drama. |