Once Upon a Time in the Midlands (2002)

User Rating:

6.0/10   

Director:

Shane Meadows

Writers:

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

Release Date:

6 September 2002 (UK)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

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:

Marriage Proposal | Ex Girlfriend | Love | Hitchhiking | Gangster

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 The Right Stuff (1983)

Soundtrack:

Whatever You Want

An entertaining enough blending of western-iconography and social realist melodrama

If the interviews and commentary-track on the Dead Man's Shoes DVD are anything to go by, even Meadows himself considers this film to be something of a failure; even going so far as to take up semi-retirement until Paddy Considine could talk him into making another film. As a result of Meadows' personal opinion, coupled with the critical notices at the time, I'd avoided the film under the allusion that it was an absolute cinematic disaster; a Brit-flick turkey completely devoid of merit!! As it happens, however, the film isn't all that bad, or at least, not as bad as I'd been led to believe by the director and the critics.

The story is simple, with Meadows and co-writer Paul Fraser playfully attempting juxtapose the conventions of the spaghetti western genre with the more traditional style of British storytelling favoured by the likes of Ken Loach and Mike Leigh. So, we have the usual western flourishes - the lone desperado riding into town, the fight between the two protagonists over the hand of a fair maiden and the big mid-narrative showdown at the local saloon - appearing alongside the more obvious British concerns like family-ties, shell-suits, day-time talk shows and bingo. The combination of the two forms isn't entirely successful, and it seems that the filmmakers aren't quite committed to the concept 100%, with certain parts of the film simply descending into the style of film-making usually reserved for an ITV social drama. The use of the widescreen "cinema-scope" photography works well, with Meadows lovingly referencing the films of Sergio Leone, most prominently in the scene in which Robert Carlisle's character Jimmy has an altercation with the bumbling Dek - brilliantly played by Rhys Ifans - at the auto-garage where he works. As well as that particular scene, there's also the big climactic face-off between the two characters, which is also perfectly handled by Meadows and his crew; with the director making great use of the frame and plenty of low-angles, whilst a crane shot rising above the houses as one of the characters drives off into the sunset is also a particularly nice touch (though it's a shame Meadows didn't go for close-up shots of the character's eyes, ala A Fistful of Dollars, but perhaps that would have been a little too much?).

Comic relief comes courtesy of Ricky Tomlinson and Kathy Burke in supporting roles, with both actors doing their usual trademark shtick to great effect (a scene in which Burke's character accidentally gets hit on the head with a projectile microphone is bound to generate more laughs that you'd probably expect!!). Carlisle and Shirley Henderson are both good in their pivotal roles, though for me it's Ifans who really impresses; managing to make his character likable and believable as he progresses through the film from meek-doormat into someone who is willing to fight for the family he loves. This is the second film I've seen, following Enduring Love in which Ifans hasn't seemed like a complete caricature (sort of like he did in Notting Hill and Human Nature), with both films showing his capacity to switch from sly humour to emotional drama within a single scene and furthering his metamorphosis into one of the UK's greatest actors.

Once Upon A Time... is by no means as impressive or inspiring as other films by Meadows, in particular A Room for Romeo Brass and Dead Man's Shoes, but it's enjoyable enough and charming in its own way, with Meadows and Fraser balancing an interesting story with an imaginative concept and a handful of strong performances.