Dirty Weekend (1993)

User Rating:

4.5/10   

Director:

Michael Winner

Writers:

Michael Winner (writer)
Helen Zahavi (novel)

Release Date:

11 July 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

Bella has decided to take out a few men.

Plot:

Shortly after she moves into her own flat in Brighton, Bella finds she is being spied on and generally harassed by a man living across from her...

Plot Keywords:

Murder | Gun | Erotica | Revenge | Skirt

Cast

Lia Williams	...	Bella
Rufus Sewell	...	Tim
Michael Cule	...	Norman
David McCallum	...	Reggie
Christopher Ryan	...	Small One
Sean Pertwee	...	The Quiet One
Nicholas Hewetson	...	Bitter One
Christopher Adamson	...	Serial Killer
Jack Galloway	...	David
Matthew Marsh	...	Bascombe
Ian Richardson	...	Nimrod
Shaughan Seymour	...	Charles
Mark Burns	...	Mr. Brown
David Schaal	...	Stan
Matthew Long	...	Gun Shop Assistant

Runtime:

102 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Finland:K-18 | Germany:18 (video premiere) | Norway:18 | UK:18 | Germany:BPjM Restricted

Filming Locations:

Brighton, East Sussex, England, UK

Company:

Michael Winner Ltd.

Movie Connections:

References Mean Streets (1973)

Soundtrack:

Bella

Enough is enough.

Controversial? What's the big deal? Sure it comes across as tasteless, perverse and unsavoury, but really the underlining black humour in the smarting script and a revenge fantasy layout does mildly soften the savage intentions. When released; the British (sort-of) feminine vigilante 'Dirty Weekend' caused a real uproar. I seen it labelled as pornographic, but it doesn't really come close. It can get dark, daring and nasty, but never arouses. The raving screenplay by Michael Winner and Helen Zahavi (which it's based upon her novel) is lyrically intrusive, can be offbeat, grotesque (you'll know when) and wears its feminist liberation proudly. Surprisingly I thought it was well thought out even with some patchy inclusions and silly developments. However the absurdity it succumbs to makes for an uneven balance between the humour and serious matter. The waxing between the characters was always amusing, especially when the tables are finally turned. Watching the vulnerable nature of our single female protagonist slowly transform and breathe growing confidence (going from a shivering victim to a sardonic murderer) is done in a wonderfully hardy portrayal by Lia Williams. Some might finde her superficially bland, but I found her suitably incisive. The majority of the men come off as filth, unpleasant and sleazy. David McCallum is substantially good as the fractious dentist and Rufus Sewell is fairly unnerving as the grubby pervert. Sean Pertwee also gets a taste of his own medicine. Director Michael Winner's frank handling is gusty and his sledgehammer approach productively works along side the no-holds barred material. Sometimes the way it was shot it felt like a cheap TV movie. Mainly due to the editing. While the crude violence has a malicious streak, it isn't overly explicit or even convincing, but it can evoke severity. David Fanshawe's eclectically uncanny and soulful music score is an odd one to behold. At times it has a majestic air, but other cues are a complete mess. Interesting low-brow and misogynistic exploitation nonetheless.