Once Upon a Time in the Midlands (2002)

Director:

Shane Meadows

Writers:

Paul Fraser (written by) and
Shane Meadows (written by)

Release Date:

6 September 2002 (UK)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

A tinned spaghetti western

Plot:

After seeing his ex-girlfriend (Henderson) turn down a nationally televised marriage proposal, a small-time crook (Carlyle) returns to his hometown to try and win back her heart.

Plot Keywords:

Friend | Marriage Proposal | Ex Girlfriend | Love | Money

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Robert Carlyle	...	Jimmy
Vanessa Feltz	...	Vanessa
Ricky Tomlinson	...	Charlie
Kathy Burke	...	Carol
Vicki Patterson	...	Audience Guest
Shirley Henderson	...	Shirley
Finn Atkins	...	Marlene
Kelly Thresher	...	Donna
Rhys Ifans	...	Dek
Andrew Shim	...	Donut
Ryan Bruce	...	Emerson
Eliot Otis Brown Walters	...	Lake
Anthony Strachan	...	Jumbo (as Antony Strachan)
David McKay	...	Dougy (as David Mckay)
James Cosmo	...	Billy

MPAA:

Rated R for language.

Runtime:

104 min

Country:

UK | Germany

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Finland:K-7 | Iceland:L | Singapore:NC-16 (DVD rating) | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Norway:15 | Singapore:PG | UK:15 | USA:R | Canada:A

Filming Locations:

Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England, UK

Company:

FilmFour

Trivia:

When Dek (played by Rhys Ifans) finds out that Jimmy (played by Robert Carlyle), is back in town, he proclaims to Carol: "He's only your foster brother! He could have Hannibal Lector's DNA for all we know! Rhys Ifans went on to portray Grutas, Hannibal Lector's nemesis, in Hannibal Rising.

Quotes:

Dek: I'm nothing like Jimmy.
Marlene: Jimmy left. You're leaving. What's the difference?
Dek: I don't want to go.

Movie Connections:

References C'era una volta il West (1968)

Soundtrack:

Ballroom Blitz

Not Meadow's best.

Firstly, let me say how much I like Shane Meadow's work (particularly 'A Room For Romeo Brass'). However 'Once Upon a Time in The Midlands' is, in my opinion, his weakest work to date. That's not to say it isn't a good film, it is, but somewhere along the line the Meadow's formula went wrong. It smacks of too much development, something Meadows complained about himself, almost as if Film Four wanted to bottle the distinctive spirit of his earlier work, mass produce it and sell it to the widest audience possible. The characters end up as caricatures and whereas previous Meadows films examined the wonderful humanity and quiet dignity inherent in everyday life this one ends up in danger of being patronising to its subjects. The title and tag line are great but I wonder if they weren't thought up before the actual story and at the expense of the film. I personally found the Western elements a little superfluous, the deluge of famous faces distracting (what on Earth are Reeves and Mortimer doing as clowns?!), and the Glasgow gangsters subplot unnecessary. Once these elements fall by the wayside however, as they do in the second half, the film settles down into telling a decent little story. The central love triangle comes to the fore and we actually begin to connect with the characters. All the performances are good but special mention must go to young Finn Atkins who is outstanding. If this is your first taste of Meadows then don't be put off, just know that there are better films in his back catelogue than this. The 2 disc DVD is worth investing in though as the extras include Shane's World and a really nice documentary on the film's promotional tour.