Awesome Movie

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

I saw this movie before reading any reviews, and I thought it was very funny. I was very surprised to see the overwhelmingly negative reviews this film received from critics.

While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.

We kind of accept the desperation that life in the outskirts numbs by stark necessity, that people prostitute themselves or run shady rings of all sorts from a shabby apartment and that this happens not far from us at all. But when a 12 year old girl becomes involved, does that wake us?The film isn't amazing but not bad to watch either. In fact the main thing against it for me is, like the prostitute protagonist who eventually returns to the life she knows of walking the streets, an inability to envision something more than the morality play. So yes, there are corrupt animals out there, both filthy rich and lowly thugs, who get what's coming to them, others get a clean pass, the right decision is made. Okay. It's the kind of thing that affirms a broken state of things, affects in a small way, provides the catharsis, so we can go back to what we were doing.

One of the more disturbing British crime flicks, has a haggard prostitute, seeking a young fresh girl to quench a client (an old mobster sicko's thirst) where a bloody incident horribly ensues. Not a badly made film, which too you should watch for some deleted scenes, most of them bloody. Unfortunately the more experienced pro, and the much younger less experienced one have ended up in a frightening pickle of a situation. The client, who obviously was castrated, where he had much more darker sexual intentions for the young lass, happens to have his mobster son (a nasty frightening performance by that actor) wanting revenge, bad. The movie goes back and forth in story, and is quite a disturbing watch, due to it's child prostitution themes. It's not what I call an impressive effort, or something I was bowled over by, but for lovers of British crime flicks, this one may not suit your taste. The film was made on quite a tight budget from what I know, and the young teen girl in it was very good. LTB does have some repellent (sicko territory) moments, and the ending doesn't go down like you think, where someone must pay for the horrific though in my eyes, justful crime.

The movie starts in a bathroom with Kelly (Lorraine Stanley) bruised and battered, while young Joanne (Georgia Groome) is cowering. They scrap together enough money for a train trip from London to Brighton. They're on the run from some dangerous gangsters led by Stuart Allen (Sam Spruell). The movie flashbacks to the beginning when prostitute Kelly befriends 12 year old runaway Joanne. Kelly's pimp Derek (Johnny Harris) tries to turn her.This is a gritty little indie from newcomer writer/director Paul Andrew Williams. The performance are all solid. The two leads are amazing. The movie does the bottom dwelling grim pretty well. There are some slower spots in the movie. But the great performances and the harrowing story are building to a really good dark ending. A minor complaint is that it doesn't go through with it. Instead it has a happy ending which is probably more sellable.

There aren't many films of this genre (the late night TV film/filmfour film) which will grip you like this film does. I think, literally, I spent about half an hour in the doorway to the lounge, trying to leave the room in order to make a drink... but my eyes were fixed to the screen, and my feet fixed to the floor.I think this film speaks to you in a way you can't describe, you are along for the ride and you have bought 100% into the characters (save one 'baddy') - the director/cast/et al managed to produce something greater than the sum of it's parts. The film is fantastic and yet some of the parts really shouldn't add up to something so good.Excellent for what it is. Those who like to go on an emotional journey, a journey with the characters, an unpleasant and sometimes pillow-gripping journey, but a rewarding one none-the-less.