To me, this movie is perfection.

the audience applauded

Plenty to Like, Plenty to Dislike

Great Film overall

I have to say I absolutely loved this movie. It's a huge mix, hostage thriller, crime caper, love story, rom com. It really is a mixed bag, bu the brilliant performances and the engaging story manage to bind the elements together, making it a very engaging and rather deep film. Some nice bits of humour, I love the names of the thieves, Cameron and Clegg, there's a message in there somewhere (they robbed us all didn't they?)I was so engrossed in the film it took me over half an hour to realise that Cameron was played by Kevin McKidd, I literally didn't recognise him. Josef Altin is hilariously funny as Clegg, hobbling about, he had some great one liners. No need to comment how impressive Poots and Spall are, both are just brilliant, but it's young Craig Roberts once again that impresses, he is a very refreshing actor, and somehow different.Great ending, so in keeping with the tone of the film.Great use of classical music in the film, it added something to the film, especially the beautiful rendition of Lakme.I loved it. 9/10

Comes a Bright Day (2012)Give this a chance. It starts oddly, and there a couple of actors who give pretty thin performances in the opening scenes. But eventually you'll end up in the main situation of the movie, which I hate to even say. For now, there is a small group of people trapped together and in the process of figuring out what to do, a romance is born. It's all so unlikely and yet so warmly believable--the romance part of it the story--you end up glad you made it to the end.Along the way there is a mix of storytelling and desperate thuggery. It's a bit contrived and in a way unlikely, but you end up focussing on the people and their characters more than the larger plot. This is where is shines. The director, Simon Aboud, has a short history and it shows here. (From his web site he also fancies himself a contemporary photographer, but his work is wobbly there, too.) In the movie, something doesn't click as it goes. The story, too, is oddly one-dimensional despite the characters being so full-blooded. And there are moments of really high drama (with the police) that are mere glances in the movie (probably to avoid distracting us) and moments of tenderness that are too few. The cast saves the film. Most interesting might be the quirky main character, played by Craig Roberts, who has mostly television behind him but who is just coming of age as an adult actor. His love interest is played by Imogen Poots, who is a more established young actress and who is clearly good, in fact probably better than the director realized because she doesn't always penetrate except by being likable.

The imbalance caused by the reviewer from New york is a shame. He talks about IQ over 70, but he obviously didn't understand this movie. It is robust and well acted and there certainly is chemistry between the leads. Don't be put off by this American misery. Well worth your time! By the way I have an IQ of 149 and couldn't fault it.The pace is consistent, the locations are excellent, and any appearance by Timothy Spall is a bonus. I feel the Brits do this sort of caper far better than Hollywood, especially considering the low budget, you don't need bucket loads of cash thrown at a project to make sure it's good, or a "star name". Let's appreciate it for what it is and leave the criticism for those megabucks movies from USA that leave you cold, and waste your time!

I wouldn't use any extreme words to describe this film. It's not 'fantastic' or 'hysterical' or 'must see'. But it is interesting and unusual.The story of a jewelry heist gone very wrong and the three hostages awaiting resolution in the rarefied atmosphere of an elite London antique jewelry shop , it is fairly quiet, reserved,occasionally funny ;and occasionally jolting, stressful,violent.Except for a few scenes, it all takes place in one interior ,so it feels very much like a play.I wasn't familiar with any of the actors except my hero, Timothy Spall, but they were all spot on.And it was very interesting to me that the five main actors all pretty much had equal time. There was no one person that 'made the picture.' For me, the story and the characters all felt very authentic and believable, and the pace never felt lagging or forced. The unexpected elements were the romantic interludes- a grief struck gentleman remembering the love of his life,a fairy tale-like story told to distract a worried hostage; a psychopath mesmerized by an opera aria; and they all contributed to making a heist/hostage film something quite different and out of the ordinary.I really enjoyed it.