Director: Malcolm Venville
Starring: Ray Winstone, Tom Wilkinson & Ian McShane
An occasionally gripping gangster film that is filled with sharp, scathing dialogue and strong performances from it’s cast but with not enough actually happening in the plot, the pacing suffers making the film good, but not great.
Adapted from a script by Louis Mellis and David Scinto who also wrote the memorable, and well received Sexy Beast in 2000, 44 Inch Chest compares favourably with Sexy Beast in terms of dialogue and performances from former Sexy Beast cast members Ray Winstone and Ian McShane however, with little action occurring beyond a single room and the hallway outside, 44 Inch Chest feels too much like a stage play which in this case, makes for less than thrilling cinema despite the enjoyment derived from the script and the film’s performances.
Devastated at the news that his wife Liz (Joanne Whalley) has been having an affair and is leaving he, Colin Diamond (Winstone) tries to piece himself back together with the help of his fellow gangster friends. His friends, having found the waiter his wife was seeing behind his back, bring the waiter back to a small room to allow Colin to exact his revenge, but with Colin still reeling from the blows to his manhood that his wife’s actions have taken upon him, finds himself emotionally and psychologically uncertain as to whether he can enact his revenge and reclaim his masculinity.
Playing out like a stage performance with most of the film taking lace within a single room and performed amongst a small cast, 44 Inch Chest both benefits and suffers from it’s theatrical trimmings on the cinema screen. In terms of benefits, the film is well performed throughout with a cast of British acting heavyweights making every line enjoyable. The film, being based in one, small location also allows the film to explore themes of masculinity and its breakdown through the experiences of Colin Diamond, a gangster who has found himself neutered by the actions of his wife. The Samson & Delilah metaphor is ever present with a film version of the story even referred to during the course of the script and as Diamond struggles to come to terms with what he’s lost, his friends who each represent differing representations of masculinity (Wilkinson the tough guy who loves his mum, Hurt the old fashioned sexist, McShane ruthless yet homosexual) challenge and participate in his mental struggle. Unfortunately, as insightful as the script can be, as sharp as the dialogue is and as well performed as the film is, 44 Inch Chest also suffers from pacing problems. Great dialogue is always good but in a film where little occurs beyond talk, the film begins to drag and ultimately little actually happens beyond talk even when it comes to the film’s finale.
44 Inch Chest features an impressive cast and all impress. Winstone finds vulnerabilities to explore in his own gangster image with his performance as Colin whose anguish is believable throughout. John Hurt puts in an amusing performance as a grumpy, mean-spirited Steptoe-type which, at odds with his usual distinguished Englishman, allows Hurt to spit hatred with surprising venom. Ian McShane is charming and frightening in equal measure as the occasionally effeminate, yet believably cold and threatening Meredith who gets to subvert the usual on-screen representation of homo-sexuality, particularly within the gangster genre. Wilkinson puts in a likeable performance as Colin’s tough-talking but caring best friend and Stephen Dillane, the youngest of the main cast, holds his own well amongst his co-stars.
Overall, 44 Inch Chest has great dialogue, great performances from an impressive cast list and it’s exploration into masculinity is frequently engaging but it’s over-reliance on dialogue to drive the story over events means not enough actually happens and the film does drag too often to be wholly enjoyable.
Rating: 3/5
