I'd had very good intentions to do lots of blogging this week. As you can see, I've done a spectacular job so far! Ahem...
I went to the cinema! How unusual, I know. So, I saw Filth and it was...I mean...I just dunno if I have the right words to describe it. Because it was great, like jaw-dropping, but at the same time it is grotesque, horrible and terrible. And I mean that in a good way. So you see where the confusion lies.
Based on Irvine Welsh's novel of the same name, I certainly knew to expect some fairly audacious material. This is the same guy who wrote the classic Trainspotting, which became one of THE great British films, and it isn't exactly a shrinking violet. It is bloody great though.
Essentially, this is a film about excess and power. Bruce Robertson (James McAvoy) is on the hunt for a promotion and will do (quite literally) anything to get it. His ploys are intertwined with his investigation of a murder that occurs at the beginning of the films. It seems totally random, but when they intertwine it hits like a brick. All of these events carry on as Bruce starts to lose his grip on reality and his thin grasp on the control he so desperately seeks.
We'll talk about the main reason I wanted to see this film (apart from it looking AMAZING) and that was James McAvoy.
He is just the best, and PHENOMENALLY talented. He's been one of my favourite actors since his stint on Shameless (back when it was good) because there is something so captivating about him. He's always been great in any film he's starred in, but he is awe-inspiring in this. He is totally fearless and is unrecognisable the moment he comes on screen. His Bruce is, by all accounts, a complete dick. There is no other word for him. He is an alcoholic, racist, sectarian, homophobic, manipulative, damaged, devious, coke-fiend, yet for some baffling reason, I still gave a shit about him. Which is entirely down to the talent of McAvoy. Even when he is being an absolute cock, some tiny, minute facial movement will all of a sudden have you wanting to give him a hug. Mad skills.
He is just the best, and PHENOMENALLY talented. He's been one of my favourite actors since his stint on Shameless (back when it was good) because there is something so captivating about him. He's always been great in any film he's starred in, but he is awe-inspiring in this. He is totally fearless and is unrecognisable the moment he comes on screen. His Bruce is, by all accounts, a complete dick. There is no other word for him. He is an alcoholic, racist, sectarian, homophobic, manipulative, damaged, devious, coke-fiend, yet for some baffling reason, I still gave a shit about him. Which is entirely down to the talent of McAvoy. Even when he is being an absolute cock, some tiny, minute facial movement will all of a sudden have you wanting to give him a hug. Mad skills.
It's almost quite easy to ignore the rest of the film in light of McAvoy's performance. Not that the rest of the film is bad, it's not, it's great. But he is so magnetic it's easy to forget the other stuff. And there is quite a lot of other stuff--a promotion, a murder, madness, an innocent best friend, his not-so-innocent wife, the affairs, drugs, prostitutes. It can get a little hectic, but the director, Jon S.Baird, juggles them quite well. It gets even more hectic as Bruce loses his loose grip on his sanity, haunted by an event from his childhood and missing his wife and child. Yet, despite all this madness, this is a funny film. Which, admittedly, sounds terribly twisted on my part, but it is so unbelievably un-PC it's hard not to laugh. The film takes a sort of glee in ripping up the standards that a modern society has established. Essentially, it works to show off the shame of Britain in the most flamboyant way possible. The satire shows the horror of his outdated views, whilst also pointing a finger back at us, reminding us that a lot of these views remain.
This isn't a film for everyone, and it certainly isn't a film to watch with your parents. DON'T WATCH WITH YOUR PARENTS. But it is definitely worth a watch, if only to be amazed by James McAvoy.
The film is out now in UK, and is awaiting a worldwide distributer to pick up the rights.
I have a Hallowe'en series coming up, because YAY FOR SCARY FILMS. Also, HOCUS POCUS!! So I'll be back soon. Actually this time haha.
Peace out :)
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