Flashbacks Of A Fool (2008/Anchor Bay DVD)
Picture:
B- Sound: B- Extras: C+ Film: B
Though
Daniel Craig is getting huge press for taking over the role of James Bond like
no one since Roger Moore, he has been a top-flight character actor for years
with his share of leads on the big and small screen over the years. With his new clout, he can take on more
interesting projects and roles, though whether they will work out or not is
another issue. Most actors sadly come up
short, but in writer/director Baillie Walsh’s Flashbacks Of A Fool (2008), Craig is actor Joe Scot in one of the
big character study surprises of the year.
A man who
likes to party, he is an actor who is starting to have trouble with his career
because of ageism and is not helping his situation by partying too much. As this starts to catch up with him and his
career, he begins to think back on his life for closure and analysis, all of
which is told in fine flashback. Harry
Eden is very convincing as a teen version of Scot, having a mixed childhood
experience and as he thinks through it, we learn about him as he relearns about
himself.
Craig is
in about half the film or so, but it never feels like he is gone for long
because the story as period piece is very effective down to the finer details
that come from more than just licensing a few songs from the era. Running 114 minutes, it is always engaging
and is far more impressive than expected, making in one of the best independent
productions (Craig co-produced) of the year.
Craig can really act and the cast is fine across the board, including
Olivia Williams, Mark Strong, (a comeback for) Claire Forlani, James Darcy, the
singer Eve and Jodhi May among others. I
hope Bond and Craig fans will pick this up on his name and make it a surprise
hit, but we’re happy to tell you it is really good.
The
anamorphically enhanced 2.35 X 1 image is stylized a bit, but has some good
depth and detail for this format. Director
of Photography John Mathieson, B.S.C., delivers his best work here since Hannibal and K-PAX, with a new energy he seems to have been holding back for a
while after more commercial fare like August
Rush. The Dolby Digital 5.1 mix is
not bad, uses the surrounds well and is well recorded, while the use of music
(old and new) is better integrated into the mix and narrative than many films
we have come across lately. In both
cases, we hope the Blu-ray is even better.
Extras include two U.K. TV spots, the original theatrical trailer and a
good interviews featurette.
- Nicholas Sheffo
