If you are like me, Sean Bean is what drew you to this movie. But you'll happily stay for the script, the cinematography, and the classic ensemble of actors. This is a film that aims to be both art and entertainment and succeeds.
Without giving too much away, the plot revolves around a mysterious blue suitcase that our hero - an out-of-work actor - is hired to deliver to an even more mysterious Yorkshire-accented Cowboy (Sean Bean) around whom people seem to...disappear.
The Big Empty is quirky but not a full-on comedy. It has a strong existential vibe with a touch of Film Noir. If you watch it with a group, there will be plenty of discussion afterwards. Although rated "R", I would guess that this film would be rated PG-13 if not for the presence of the "F" word.
The DVD has a lovely collection of extras - deleted scenes, extended scenes, interviews with the stars, and the alternate ending - which delicately skews the emphasis of the story. They really should have kept it.
This is an imaginative independent film for people who like movies that walk on the weird side. It really should have gotten better theatrical distribution. After all, how often is one given the chance to go on a quirky, existential romp through Baker, CA?
Delightful Comedy/Mystery
Although primarily a mystery, I found this film to have a quirky, offbeat, intelligent type of humor. This is not a typical scifi flick, but a most enjoyable independent film.
Give yourself 1.5 hour of good mystery
Interesting to very last minute . Just very good movie !
In November 1983, in what was the biggest heist in Britain's history to date, gold bullion worth 26 million pounds sterling was stolen from a security warehouse in London. Fool's Gold, a 1992 British LWT film starring Sean Bean (Sharpe, Essex Boys, Extremely Dangerous, Bravo Two Zero, Lady Chatterley), tells the story of the heist and, more to the point, of what happened afterward.
The theft was committed by a ruthless, brutal gang of career criminals orchestrated and lead by Micky McAvoy (Bean). By way of background, McAvoy was a workhorse for a group whom I can only describe as British mafia. He aspired to strike out on his own--to run his own show, so to speak--and decided on the security warehouse for his maiden heist. Though the theft is a matter of public record, I don't wish to... More Info about this DVD Director(s): Terry Winsor DVD Release Date: Released the 16 September 2003 Usually ships within 24 hours
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As a man falsely accused of something he did not do, Sean Bean, plays the divided man, the angst-ridden man to the fullest. This film was made in part for British TV, it far surpasses ALL American television show of any similar genre. If you have a problem understanding any Englishman or British series it is because you are not use to hearing their voices, and accents and basically do not know the cultural differences between our sister nation. This is what true suspense should be, and unlike American dramas of this nature someone does not die every two seconds with bad dialogue following. It has a darkness and stealth that only a British production can have, as in America dramas of the same kind it is always overkill. There is a unique plot development which is made over the 4 parts of... More Info about this DVD Director(s): Sallie Aprahamian DVD Release Date: Released the 25 June 2002 Usually ships within 3 to 4 days
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This movie verged on a 3-star rating just because I really liked 75% of the acting. The script and story have little muscle and barely outline motivations that are supposed to be subtle. The script nudges the action with stereotypes. The story is dated by its emerging feminism that might not be so obvious on that side of the planet now. I watched the whole thing because some of the actors presented interesting characters - they brought presence to the movie in a way I don't think an American actor and director could have done. (Isn't the U.K one big chamber ensemble anyway?) Amanda Donohoe, Sean Bean (a current favorite of mine these days), and Adrian Dunbar pulled my interest along while I did chores and had nothing else to watch. Theresa Russell is a problem. She is pretty, [physically... More Info about this DVD Director(s): David Hayman DVD Release Date: Released the 05 August 2003 Usually ships within 24 hours
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One of Mike Figgis' first films, Stormy Monday fuses an intriguing mix of American greed, crudeness, and innocence with British coolness, toughness, and civility. But added to the mix, interestingly enough, is a Polish element (more on that later).
One American is Melanie Griffith as a cocktail waitress and vaguely defined moll (or former moll) of the other, Tommy Lee Jones, a ruthless moblike businessman who plans on making Newcastle, England his own--commercially, of course. (Political takeover is a little hard to imagine circa 1988). Melanie emits a sexy blend of sensuality and innocence, pretty much irresistible. The British are Sting, as the owner of a club (a role he neatly reprised in Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels), and Sean Bean as his cleaning person/gofer. Both are... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Melanie Griffith - Tommy Lee Jones Director(s): Mike Figgis DVD Release Date: Released the 07 October 2003 Usually ships within 24 hours
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This fascinating adaptation of J.G. Farrell's novel is both a compelling drama and an illuminating examination of Ireland's troubled history. When Major Brendan Archer returns from the trenches of World War I to his fiancée in Ireland, he quickly becomes involved in familial and political turmoil.
The shell-shocked major (played with wounded vulnerability by Ian Charleson) is engaged to Angela Spencer, who lives with her family in the decaying Majestic Hotel. Angela's eccentric father wants to return the hotel to its former glory because he believes that this will somehow subdue the nationalist movement that threatens his privileged position. Meanwhile, changed utterly by his wartime experiences, Major Archer begins to fall for his fiancée's friend Sarah, a passionate... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Christopher Morahan Director(s): Christopher Morahan DVD Release Date: Released the 02 October 2001 Usually ships within 24 hours
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