Best Laid Plans is a drama
about two friends, low
rung crim Danny (Stephen
Graham) and simple Joseph
(Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje)
who follows Danny around.
Danny has gotten himself
into a little trouble
owing a local kingpin
$10,000 and while being
shook down by the kingpin,
Joseph comes to his
rescue, knocking out two
goons very easily. This
leads the kingpin to
suggest to Danny that to
help pay his debt, Joseph
can get involved in some
illegal cage fighting.
But, Joseph is a gentle
giant and will not have
any of it, but Danny
tricks him into it and
Joseph seems to be quite
good at it. At the same
time, both men meet a
lover, Danny with a
prostitute Lisa (Emma
Stansfield) and Joseph
with another simple person
Isabel (Maxine Peake).
Things are about to spiral
out of control for Danny
as Joseph rises through
the ranks and the kingpin
wants Joseph for his own
nefarious needs. Best Laid
Plans is a solid drama,
not perfect, particularly
as though it seems that
the makers want the two
men to have lovers no
matter what, but this is a
drama isn't afraid to
delve into the issues of
simple people and handles
them with some
sensitivity. It ends in a
pretty typical 'everything
is too perfect' ending,
but this film is a well
worth a look.
Awaydays is an 80s set
football hooligan drama
about Carty (Nicky Bell),
a young man working with
his uncle, looking after
his troubled sister Molly
(Holliday Grainger) and
obsessed with football and
getting in with the local
pack of football 'fans'.
After impressing the
leader of the pack
(Stephen Graham again), he
is allowed to travel with
them to the games where
basically they go to beat
up other 'fans'. Over time
he becomes more and more
involved and things are
about to get out of
control, moreso after the
death of the leader. Can
he get out before he gets
hurt. Oh, who cares... Why
do I watch these football
riot dramas? They attempt
to make them about the
down side of being
involved, but it seems
like there's a lot of
upside to rioting as well.
And that's fine, but they
all turn out the same way
for the most part and
Awaydays doesn't stray. I
will say that the
soundtrack is pretty
impressive, a lot better
than the film deserves. At
least it's not all
disappointingly familiar.
