Shiner

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Audience Member English crime dramas usually give us a different taste of violence, and the mentality of violence, and this is no exception. This movie serves as a cross between The Long Good Friday, and Stormy Monday. Caine plays the role of Billy Simpson with such tenacity that it's really hard to know whether to like him or despise him, but that's one of the film's charms. John Irvin, who's directed some pretty thrillers (The Dogs of War, Next of Kin), comes through here, and I believe this is his best film. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/08/23 Full Review Audience Member Whatever we do, we do not fear failure. Billy 'Shiner' Simpson is a boxing promoter that has finally got his big break. In the gigantic title fight, his son is fighting for the championship. However, Shiner wasn't the most honest and cleanest promoter before he became a professional and his past is on his ass. There are a lot of loose strings in Shiner's business that is putting his first main event at risk. "This is an emergency." "Oh, you have an emergency?" "No, you have if you don't move the fucking car." John Irvin, director of Raw Deal, Hamburger Hill, City of Industry, Ghost Story, The Dogs of War, The Moon and the Stars, and The Garden of Eden, delivers Shiner. The storyline for this picture is just okay and felt like an average European underground movie. The action wasn't overly intense but the acting was above average. The cast includes Michael Cain, Martin Landau, Andy Serkis, Frank Harper, Danny Webb, and Peter Wight. "I'll personally make you fuck your mother." I came across this on Netflix and thought it would be an interesting action movie with a grindhouse feel to it...or like the Bob Hoskins films in this genre. This movie fell flat for me and wasn't as good as I had hoped. This may be worth watching for b gangster movie fans, but I'd recommend skipping this. "You want to keep your bullocks? Then fucking shut up." Grade: C Rated 2.5/5 Stars •  Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 01/19/23 Full Review Audience Member Don't watch this bad movie unless you are being threatened at gunpoint. Michael Caine -- what's good about him? Rated 0.5/5 Stars •  Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 02/18/23 Full Review Audience Member Directed by John Irvin (Raw Deal (1986), Hamburger Hill (1987) and Widows' Peak (1994)), and written by Scott Cherry (The Bill). This crime drama is centred around the world of underground boxing promotion, and the dangers that go hand in hand with this world. It has a good lead performance, (he can do this in his sleep), although the plot is partially inspired by Shakespeare's King Lear. Billy 'Shiner' Simpson (Michael Caine) is a boxing promoter who due to past incidents and shady dealings, has been banned from deal in legitimate fights. But, Billy believes he has a shot at the big time, by putting his own son Eddie (Matthew Marsden), who he's dubbed Golden Boy. After the fight, Eddie is killed and Billy goes for revenge to find out who did it. He initially suspects American boxing promoter Frank Spedding (Martin Landau), a rival who was non-plussed at having to come to England for the fight which didn't last long at all. In the process of trying to find who did it, Billy starts to lose touch with reality, and he descends into madness. It has some good performances, even if it does descend into London East End gangster territory too much, but Caine proves he can still do great films, and he does well here. This could be seen as a slight dry run for things to eventually come in Harry Brown (2008). You'll have seen stuff like this before, but this one is worth a go. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/05/23 Full Review Audience Member (**): [img]http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/user/icons/icon13.gif[/img] Rated 2.5/5 Stars •  Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 01/18/23 Full Review Audience Member Just the one dinosaur in this movie - no spaceships - and that's how it works. The essence is surely in the bland. This is a classified all-time 'classic' with Caine on brilliant form - not to mention the entire cast. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/30/23 Full Review Read all reviews

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