Review of 44 Inch Chest (2009) by Chris R — 27 Apr 2010

Colin Diamond: I want you dead. I think you owe me that. I do. Because that's what you've done to me. You've fucking killed me.

A foul mouthed, English drama, featuring a talented group of English actors, who unfortunately can't elevate the simple story to anything better. The film feels very much like a play and is almost entirely composed of men, but unlike Glengarry Glen Ross, this film falls short of being anything special, which is a shame.

Ray Winstone stars as a husband who has just been made aware that his wife is leaving him for a younger man. This basically destroys him, prompting his friends to kidnap Winstone's wife's lover, bring him to an isolated apartment, and consider the idea of torturing and then killing him. Winstone's friends include Tom Wilkonson as a sensible man living with his mother, John Hurt as the crotchety old man, Stephen Dillane as a combustible type, and Ian McShane as the smooth, gay, gambler.

As the different men all respond to the situation and relate various stories, various flashbacks also crop up, showing previous events, along with some dream-like sequences conveying Winstone's mind set.

Describing the plot makes this film sound much more interesting to me, than it was watching it. I wanted to like this movie. The cast certainly made me want to like it. The fact that I enjoyed watching this cast made me want to like it. However, It boils down to having Winstone's character, who is very flawed, crying a lot and then trying to understand himself, but its done in such a mundane way that even the dream sequences don't make it very interesting. Add to that the fact that even though the friends are entertaining, they really don't add much to this film beyond having these entertaining personalities.

There are good things. As I mentioned, all these actors are very capable of being good. McShane, Hurt, and Dillane stand out in particular.

Unfortunately sub par.

Liz: It's not like that Colin. I don't feel the same as you, I just want to get out.

Colin Diamond: Well fuck off then. Go on, get. Fuck off. I'll be alright. Selfish bastard. I ain't gonna stop you. I'll tell you. You fuck off, you horrible cunt. You traitor. I hate you.

Liz: Not if you're going to start calling me names.