Dang this could have been a great show
Unfortunately the scrip just didn't make the viewer care about the main protagonist. While all the characters were believable the action was too episodic for any meaningful story to emerge. It seemed we were watching a series of loosely connected memories of the director with some period music and well designed 70's clothing holding it together. Such a shame because I'm a fan of Peter Mullan.
Me too , I thought that there was no real message to the film , He became a NED by choice not because he had to , and beacme a right pr_ck. I really wanted to like this film and there is a lot to like, but I just wish there had been more direction to the story and that we learned from the experience.
Lloyd.
I wanted to like this better than I did. I thought it was quite episodic, poorly connected and ultimately depressing. I found The Magdalene Sisters much better. It was much more moving and had more passion and gripping characters.
shareWere you guys asleep during this film?
I really cared about John. He was a talented, clever young boy in a deeply cynical world. At school, he was constantly told to 'curb his enthusiasm.' His obvious talent was actively discouraged. At home his alcoholic father had them all living in fear. His mother couldn't be bothered with him. When his Aunt left you could see how depressed he was. She was the only person in his world who told him he could amount to anything.
John went through an episode when he was about 11 that traumatised him for years - when Carter tells him in the playground he will 'demolish him/rip his head off' etc. All the while the seeds are being sown for his ultimately unhinged character at the end.
He's an intelligent boy. His weakness is his pride because he feels like he deserves something better. But he can't escape the violence. He has so much resentment inside him that he eventually acts out and makes bad choices.
It's sad that you see him as such a 'horrible' person. Yes he's flawed but he's human. You see an optimistic boy who eventually has all the hope stripped away from him by his surroundings.
It is very depressing. But that doesn't take away the brilliant themes of the film. It's an utter success.
I certainly wasn't asleep during this film. I just found it ultimately depressing, if realistic. Both 'Johns' were great, but I would have preferred a bit more triumph in adversity. Neds comes across as an extremely personal, angry film. I'm sure Peter Mullan knows what he is talking about, from bitter experience. And as somebody who grew up near gang-infested neighbourhoods, I feel this film has a strong sense of realism. In real life, lads like John are often eaten up by their brutal environments. But some of them pursue and find something better. Having said all that, I think Mullan was also trying to make people angry on behalf of the nihilism and inequality that is at the roots of the
Neds subculture. He should be congratulated for that.
Sorry Spellbnder but I can assure you I was wide awake :) , I go back to my point - he became a wan_er by choice not because he had to. He didnt drop that slab on the guys head because he was forced to , or beacuse of appresion or because he was a by product of the system , He was very much a "Horrible" person , and anyone who cant see this then I pray there are not selected for dury duty If I ever get stabbed by a "John".
"Sorry sir but the guy who satbbed you wont be doing any jail time as he was bullied as a child......."
From neighbotherltd's post:
"...he became a wan_er by choice not because he had to."
John was faced with the choice of becoming not only isolated and targetted, but a future victim of violence (death?) if he continued as the "know-it-all", being surrounded by youth had been told they were useless as well as stupid. John realized that his choice was to fit in and be safe, or be his true self and be a punching bag for the rest of his youth. Not much of a choice, IMHO. He saved himself by making the choice he did.
"He didnt drop that slab on the guys head because he was forced to..."
I agree that all of the things John did was his choice. Like so many around him, he had reason to be angry and all the youth in the gangs were needing an opportunity to let go of the anger they carried inside them. The young man John attacked was someone who had beat him up at an earlier age. John wanted revenge. In addition, all of the guys in his gang (who he gave up his promising schooling for), didn't seem to try to understand John's side of the story and appeared to take the side of John's attacker. When the confrontation between John and this guy happened, John was willing to let him go, but he chose to get in one more dig, saying something about John being a *beep* idiot" under his breath. He provoked John for whatever reason and that was the straw that broke the camel's back. Of course John was wrong to do what he did, but these are at least three reasons why he went off the deep end.
I thought it was kindy interesting how he was intelligent and tried to hide it. Too much cliche/stereotype in it though.
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It's not "sci-fi", it's SF!
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"this film isn't really about neds (subculture?? seriously, you are talking pish there pal) "
It's about a guy who ends up a ned. And it is a subculture. He's right. No pish aboot it.
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It's not "sci-fi", it's SF!
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That was the SHORT version.
Jesus shouldn't have been in it. Stupid. Not funny either.
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It's not "sci-fi", it's SF!
It was a great film and both actors who played John did great. I find myself really connecting with their characters.
Besides whats wrong if the character John did become bad by his own volition? Lots of people in this world are bad by choice as well. Nothing wrong if the main character is derived of that representation.
To be honest I liked it better this way. The fact that he went down that road rids the movie of the pity-me, i'm not a fault, im a victim of so and so cliche rubbish.
I also like that they didn't bother Disney'ing the ending to make the viewer all warm-hearted and sappy. It's a sad movie and I felt what John was feeling and I dug that the movie was able to reach me in that way.
I found about 80% of this boring it took ages for John to turn into a thug
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