
Colin (Ray Winstone) is in agony, shattered by his wife's infidelity. However, he has friends who do more than stand by. They kidnap the wife's French lover and hold him prisoner so that Colin can restore his manhood with revenge. A kangaroo court takes place, and as the situation escalates, loverboy's life hangs in the balance as Colin wrestles with revenge, remorse, grief, and self pity, all the while egged on by his motley crew of friends who just want him to get on with i... (Full plot summary below)
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Colin (Ray Winstone) is in agony, shattered by his wife's infidelity. However, he has friends who do more than stand by. They kidnap the wife's French lover and hold him prisoner so that Colin can restore his manhood with revenge. A kangaroo court takes place, and as the situation escalates, loverboy's life hangs in the balance as Colin wrestles with revenge, remorse, grief, and self pity, all the while egged on by his motley crew of friends who just want him to get on with it so they can get down to the pub.
Leave your thoughts about 44 Inch Chest.
| L.A. WeeklyMelissa AndersonAs in "Sexy Beast", Mellis and Scinto’s rhythmically aggressive dialogue becomes arialike. But first-time director Malcolm Venville lacks the visual flair of Sexy Beast’s Jonathan Glazer -- a deficit that, combined with 44 Inch Chest’s wobbly final act, comes dangerously close to erasing the film’s uninhibited look at the measure of a man. |
| St. Paul Pioneer PressChris Hewitt (St. Paul)Writers Louis Mellis and David Scinto seem to have been hoping for something along the lines of those Quentin Tarantino scenes where thugs kvetch about pop music and cinnamon buns, but the 44 Inch dialogue is not as clever as Tarantino's... |
| Sunday Times (Australia)Gavin BondThis talky crime drama is a searing examination of masculinity and misogyny that is littered with rampant profanity and lashings of humour. |
| Los Angeles TimesKevin ThomasMalcolm Venville, in an assured directorial debut, builds suspense with steady effectiveness. |
| Urban CinefileAndrew L. UrbanThe title suggests an exploration of the macho notion of masculinity, and while the theme filters through, it is less than satisfying; the film also lacks layers, making it a one-note movie with the odd flash of wit |
| Reeling ReviewsLaura Clifford...an exploration of the meaning of love amidst a lot of macho posturing that features a great cast and great dialogue undone by staginess, clunky fantasy elements and a weak conclusion. |
| At the MoviesMichael PhillipsI just felt like it was not going anywhere after a while and I did feel like I was trapped in a play that wasn't really working for me. |
| Brand XAndy KleinStructurally, 44 Inch Chest resembles "Reservoir Dogs"; but, without the added amusement of Tarantino's skewing of narrative time, it feels very much more like a direct adaptation of a stage play (which apparently it's not). The filmmakers do goose things up by playing with reality in the second half, but it all leads to a payoff that, while perfectly legitimate, feels limp. |
| Sky CinemaElliott NobleWinstone's portrait of self-pity and snivelling rage is the centrepiece, but McShane and Hurt bring plenty of scene-stealing relief while Dillane and Wilkinson effortlessly cover the middle ground. |
| Bangor Daily News (Maine)Christopher SmithFor all its dialogue and relative lack of action, "44 Inch Chest" is lively and vibrant, no doubt due to the pitch-perfect performances. The movie relies on substance over style and flash, and manages to impress all the same. |