Criminal

Year: 1999

Grade: C+

Country: UK

Director: Simpson

Review

another example of a brit grit film that fancies style over substance. that said, this film, unlike nil by mouth, had enough substance to keep me interested throughout the picture. the girl who plays the american transient does a pretty awful job of acting, but to be fair part of her bad performance can be blamed on the poor writing for her character. the rest of the acting was good enough. there was some interesting directing – wipes done with people walking across the frame or stationary objects as the camera pans, lots of editing to keep the pace snappy, etc. the problem is that it all comes off as unnatural and done for the sake of doing it rather than as a complement to the material. felt like a cross between “the game” and “the last minute.” .