44 Inch Chest (2009)
After his wife, Liz (Joanne Whalley), cheats on him, gangster Colin Diamond (Ray Winstone) gets his revenge by enlisting his underworld pals to kidnap her hunky French lover (Melvil Poupaud) in the feature debut of director Malcolm Venville. Top British actors including Ian McShane, John Hurt and Tom Wilkinson round out the cast of the crime thriller, penned by the screenwriters of another memorable Winstone vehicle, Sexy Beast.
Cast and Information
Directed By: Malcolm Venville
Written By: Louis Mellis, David Scinto
Starring: John Hurt, Tom Wilkinson, Ian McShane, Ray Winstone, Steven Berkoff, Joanne Whalley, Stephen Dillane, Melvil Poupaud, Dave Legeno, Edna Doré, Andy de la Tour, Derek Lea
Country: UK
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44 Inch Chest belongs to 12 collections
1. Directorial debut (collaborative: moderated by djross - 16 stars)
2. Films available in HD (collaborative: moderated by kubricksucks - 13 stars)
3. Dialog Centric Films (collaborative: moderated by TV+Film-Hub - 6 stars)
4. One-Location Films (collaborative: moderated by TV+Film-Hub - 5 stars)
5. Capsules, guest reviews, list candidates... (366weirdmovies) (collaborative: moderated by sesito71 - 5 stars)
6. Angelo Badalamenti (composer) (collaborative: moderated by djross - 3 stars)
7. Low-Budget Films (collaborative: moderated by TV+Film-Hub - 1 star)
8. Nonformulaic Pop Killer Flicks (collaborative: moderated by TV+Film-Hub - 1 star)
9. Cynical Bastards with a Heart of Gold (collaborative: moderated by TV+Film-Hub - 1 star)
10. Dramas & Thrillers with Meaning (collaborative: moderated by TV+Film-Hub)
11. My DVD Collection (public: LesterGroans)
12. IcanRemOs (public: cajerio)
Browse the full list of collections
| Date | User | Rating | |
| Aug 13, 2014 | Zipster | 65 8th |
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These guys aren't gangsters as much as they take on the shell of cinematic gangster persona. Winstone's dilemma functions as a reason to get all these hambones into a room so they can add gusto to their dialogue by means of profanity with thick Cockney accents. And Malcolm Venville, the director, seems more in love with the stylistic exercise he gets in contriving music and montage out of the crevices of a chamber play than he does in elucidating or providing a bedrock for his characters.
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| Jun 26, 2014 |  |
JSchlansky | 80 77th |
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Fantastic acting and an incredibly original script from the same writing pair as the excellent Sexy Beast, even featuring some of the same cast members. This is one of those films that I seem to like a good more than most people. Exceptionally well written.
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| Mar 18, 2014 |  |
LookJabba... | 4 22nd |
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44 Inch Chest sells itself with the stellar cast alone, but otherwise this is a disappointing and underwhelming experience. I expected it to be a black comedy, but it takes itself far too seriously as a directionless gangster drama. Winstone, Hurt, McShane, Wilkinson & Dillane collectively carry the film as best they can and between them they have some great dialogue. But considering this was written by Louis Mellis who previously wrote 'Sexy Beast', I expected so much more. Forgettable.
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| Dec 07, 2013 |  |
WWallce4prez | 53 16th |
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Theatrical, absolutely, but ultimately too meandering to be truly enjoyable. McShane, as per usual, is dominant.
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| Nov 30, 2012 | danastevens | 40 13th |
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Ultimately, though, even the company of these brilliant actors can't compensate for the limp, shapeless plot. With nowhere to go dramatically, the last third dissolves into a haze of flashbacks and fantasy sequences.
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| Aug 16, 2012 | myfavchords | 57 9th |
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The acting is good in this movie, it looks like the actors are having a lot of fun. The script starts off well but the story never really goes anywhere. The ending of the movie is unsatisfactory. There is no way I could recommend this movie.
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| Jul 07, 2012 |  |
WalkenRoll | 60 22nd |
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A drama that I thought would be a comedy, considering who is involved. But it's far too serious, and it's populated by clichéd gangster characters. And halfway through, it takes a weird turn, and never recovers from it, and some of the subject matter is a bit too jarring. What a mess, doesn't compare to Sexy Beast. But John Hurt, Ian McShane, and the fact that Angelo Badalamenti did the music, no matter how forgettable it is, gives it some credit. Not much, though
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| Feb 09, 2012 |  |
TheDiceman | 50 35th |
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Expected more from this but worth a watch nonetheless.
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| Oct 15, 2011 | Coheed | 70 58th |
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A very good debut film. With its single main set and small cast, it could have easily suffered from its structure, but becomes a fascinating character drama which starts with a crime story and becomes a fascinating take on love and, more importantly, male emotions. The cast (Winstone, McShane, Hurt, Wilkinson, Dillane, Whalley etc.) is on form and the script, by the writers of Sexy Beast, is exceptional. Some may take issue with its second half but I loved this immensely.
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| Jun 30, 2011 |  |
graveyardtan | 80 57th |
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Four Titans of acting give their all to a very unsubtle film, which would have been much better off as a theater production. Ian McShane is marvelous as Meredith and, honestly, I'd watch him deliver monologues all day, no matter how shoehorned in they felt.
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| Dec 02, 2010 |  |
SlantMag | 15 21st |
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"This limp psychodrama proves woefully short on character development or narrative structure." - Nick Schager
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| Nov 15, 2010 |  |
glumpy_99 | 70 35th |
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Very well-acted drama which starts off exceptionally well (highlighted by Hurt and McShane's profane sparring) but completely runs aground in the second half (and wastes the great Tom Wilkinson). If it had continued in the vein of the first half it could have been great, but the second half becomes far too sluggish and self-serious, trying for a profundity that just doesn't exist in the relationship between Winstone and Whalley. Worthwhile for Hurt and McShane who have rarely been better.
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| Oct 31, 2010 | Joelius | 37 52nd |
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Surprisingly good, and easy to film.
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| Sep 03, 2010 |  |
TV+Film-Hub | 28 91st |
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This is a small film almost entirely filmed in one room. It has a power cast of British actors that push this rich satyr to the top.
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| Aug 31, 2010 | Silver | 7 76th |
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I'm baffled how such an empty movie can be so engaging. The best part - in perspective Winstone's role appears to be written in a way, which makes it is almost impossible to pull off. Terrific cast, amazing lighting and great sound design.
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| Jul 20, 2010 |  |
overrated | 67 73rd |
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A complete mess besides the acting. McShane as usual steals the whole thing.
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| Jul 15, 2010 |  |
garethm | 55 7th |
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With such a fantastic collection of British talent there was no doubt the acting would be of the highest quality and for a while that is enough to maintain a level of intrigue until it becomes clear that it is going absolutely nowhere. There is just about enough material to fill a short film but nowhere close for a feature length.
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| May 18, 2010 |  |
Prismatic | 84 69th |
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John Hurt and Ian McShane were quite entertaining here. The film meanders a bit and leaves you feeling somewhat flat at the finish.
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| May 02, 2010 |  |
Vandelay1 | 45 45th |
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Worth a watch
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| Apr 23, 2010 |  |
dst7175 | 45 32nd |
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Many actors i like but the movie was pointless. what a waste of all this talent. i had high hopes and was very disappointed.
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| Feb 05, 2010 |  |
burnmp3s | 44 18th |
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Ray Winstone is great as always, and the supporting cast is good as well. But although there are a few great moments, overall the film is too uneven and pointless to really be engaging.
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| Average Percentile 36.7% from 169 Ratings |  |