Truly Dreadful Film

Absolutely Fantastic

Blending excellent reporting and strong storytelling, this is a disturbing film truly stranger than fiction

Blistering performances.

I was 16 in 1988. I do remember seeing this film and falling for Sean Bean. I kept away from him and his movies for a few years and recently have started collecting his movies - I had to have this gem in my collection. Will Sean Bean live? You'll have to watch the film - I won't give spoil the fun. The movie is well worth watching if you are into film-noir. It's one of the better crime films to come out of the 1980s. Good to see this one again all these years later. 9/10

First-time director Mike Figgis wrote the script and composed the score for this wonderfully atmospheric thriller that's set in his hometown of Newcastle-upon-Tyne. The action takes place predominantly in the Quayside area where the large number of restaurants, bars and clubs ensure that the nightlife is always vibrant, even at a time when the northeast of England is experiencing a period of economic decline. The events that take place in this environment involve conflict, romance and violence and four diverse characters whose paths cross and lead to a series of surprising consequences.Newcastle's annual "America Week" is a colourful celebration of all things American (with flags, majorettes and a giant inflatable Pepsi bottle in the middle of one of the city's roundabouts) and also, significantly, it acts as a vehicle for attracting much-needed investment into the area. Brendan (Sean Bean) is a young jazz fan who's in need of a job and so, when he sees that there's a vacancy for a cleaner at a local jazz club, he applies immediately. Finney (Sting), who's the owner of "The Key Club" is surprised at Brendan's interest in the job and takes him on as a cleaner and driver.Cosmo (Tommy Lee Jones) is a Texan businessman with big plans for redeveloping the Quayside and to this end, wants to persuade Finney to sell his club. The local council are keen to support the project and Cosmo has a track record of using whatever method of persuasion is most effective to achieve his aims. His relationship with Kate (Melanie Griffith) is based on her effectiveness in using her charms to win over the support of men in influential positions to ensure that when important decisions are made, they go Cosmo's way.Brendan and Kate accidentally walk into each other in a shopping mall and by coincidence, meet again in Weegee's Café where Kate works as a waitress. When Brendan's eating his meal, he overhears two men at a nearby table discussing their plan to visit Finney to threaten him or even possibly kill him. Brendan arranges to meet Kate after she finishes work and they go to Hopper's Bar together. Brendan tells Finney what he overheard at Weegee's and so, when two vicious thugs visit the club owner and begin to threaten him, the way that he deals with the situation comes as a major surprise to them and also acts as a form of education for the naïve Brendan. Brendan and Kate fall in love and find themselves caught up in the middle of the struggle between Cosmo and Finney which inevitably ends in further violence and tragedy.The exquisite visual style of this movie with its noirish lighting etc contributes significantly to its mood which is often melancholic, unsettling and haunting and many of the shots are beautifully set up. One such example is the view through the window of Hopper's Bar at about closing time which is strongly evocative of Edward Hopper's "Nighthawks" (1942). The presence of a café that's decorated with pictures by tabloid photographer Arthur "Weegee" Fellig is also inspired as it adds character to the place and acknowledges the talent of the man who provided the inspiration for Joe Pesci's character in "The Public Eye" (1992).Some fine performances ensure that all four of the main characters in "Stormy Monday" make a strong impression. Cosmo is actually a gangster involved in a money-laundering exercise and Tommy Lee Jones is convincingly ruthless as the forceful criminal who totally underestimates Finney. Sting is suitably low-key in his portrayal of the laconic club owner and Sean Bean makes the unassuming Brendan a likable person with a lot to learn. Kate is deeply troubled, doesn't sleep well and wants to get away from her past. Melanie Griffith does extraordinarily well in this role projecting Kate's unusual mixture of toughness and vulnerability in a way that's both powerful and sympathetic.Bizarrely, for reasons explained in the story, an avant-garde group of Polish musicians called "The Krakow Jazz Ensemble" find themselves featured in the America Week celebrations. They provide some of the film's most humorous moments which ironically add to the poignancy of what happens in the movie's climax. More predictably though, the Otis Redding and B.B.King tracks featured are sensational and a perfect fit for this immensely enjoyable romantic thriller.

Cosmo (Tommy Lee Jones) is an American businessman with lots of connections, most under the table, who arrives in Newcastle on Tyne to seal deals. The celebration of "America Week" in England announces the malling of Great Britain as American monies of dubious sources invaded while the Thatcher government turned its head. Into this cesspool, Kate (Melanie Griffith) a local waitress and formerly an "escort" for Cosmo is recruited to play nice to business associates he sends her way. Rolling over the small business owners like Finney (Sting) a jazz club owner, Cosmo has no qualms about getting what he wants whether by legit or illegitimate means.A sub-storyline to the economic takeover by Cosmo is the love story between Kate and Brendan (Sean Bean), an Irish laborer who cleans toilets in Finney's club, but over hears the plans of two London seedy types who discuss how to make sure Finney sells the Kit Kat Klub to Cosmo. After informing Finney of their intentions, Brendan's loyalty is rewarded by his elevation to a go-for babysitting a progressive jazz band, the Krakow Jazz Ensemble who need to be picked up at the airport for a weekend gig. While Brendan carts the band around town, he falls in love with Kate. During their time together, Kate and Brendan are jumped and beaten by the roughs who surround Cosmo. The drama is predictable until a surprise twist and unexpected negotiation change the dynamic, and saves the film.The story line entwine to provide worthwhile entertainment for an hour and forty minutes, and the actors all provide solid performances. The soundtrack is a nice mix of 80s Brit sounds and cerebral jazz tunes with Sting doing a solo bass bit mid-film although he does not sing. Tommy Lee Jones is wonderful with an evil yet subtle humor to his business dealings and the sight of a young, buff and naked Sean Bean is delightful.A good afternoon film for a rainy day, if only for the performances by actors not usually cast together, and for director, Mike Figgis, an underrated early film worth checking out.

Sean Bean continually proves he is the best thing in any movie he is in, period. As "Brendan," and the most unknown actor in this flick, he turns in the only "real" performance in the film. You believe ever nuance of his character, a jazz buff, who is just trying to establish himself in Newcastle, England. He is the love interest of Melanie Griffith, and her partner in this story of a corrupt businessman, Tommy Lee Jones, and a tough nightclub owner, Sting. BEAN IS THE ONLY ONE WORTH WATCHING. Oddly enough, he is the newcomer in this film, but when he is on screen you are there, every second. Griffith, had the good sense to request him to play opposite her in the film, but the story is odd at best, but the young and perfectly stunning Sean Bean make this film worth the viewing. If memory serves me correctly, there was an actor's strike in America, and that is why this film has two big name U.S. stars. But they do not shine at all in comparison to the scene stealer in it, Sean Bean. Sean takes the movie completely away from the major stars in it, not by overacting, but merely by acting brilliantly and subtly. The man can break your heart and does, and his stillness on screen speaks volumes louder than all the "characterizations," of the other actors.