When the story begins, a 12 year-old boy wanders upon a crime scene. While two vehicles have just sped away, there's a van in the road...and blood dripping out of the trunk (boot for all my British friends). Suddenly, Haskell (Michael Caine) appears wearing a ski mask (a balaclava for my British friends once again). His face is hidden and he tells the kid to forget what he's seen. Well, this admonition isn't really necessary, as when the boy does tell, no one believes him as he's a bullied and scapegoated boy at some nearby residential school.
Soon after this, you see how strange and inexplicable Haskell is. While he easily could have just killed the boy to shut him up but didn't, he soon brutally murders one of his compatriots who has wronged him. Surely Haskell is not a man to be trifled with and has little compunction for killing. The same goes with a relationship be develops with an escort. For a while, he treats her amazingly nice, like she's not just some prostitute, but later once she becomes involved in his scheme, he threatens her life if she doesn't follow his orders exactly!
So what is this scheme? Well, Haskell has gotten a rich scum-bag to bankroll a very risky heist--to steal the paper used by the Bank of England for it's money in order to then make the absolute highest quality counterfeits. And, to do so, he gets a man to join his gang who used to work as a driver transporting this paper...a man who is terminally ill and has nothing to lose by helping them. What's next? See the film.
This movie is not exactly for the faint of heart. Caine's character is brutal and you see him very viciously and vividly murder folks with his bare hands...so it's not exactly a film to show the kiddies or your mother! This isn't so much a complaint...more a warning so you know what you're in for if you see "Shadow Run".
So is it any good? I thought so. But you would assume it isn't, as it currently has an overall score of 4.3 on IMDB. And, as I read through some of the reviews I wondered if we all were watching the same movie! After all, some described it as a 'student film', 'dreadful and a complete embarrassment to the cast', 'dull and frequently inept', as well as like a 'tenth rate BBC-TV crime series'!! So, many absolutely hated it and only a few folks apparently think it is worth seeing. Why this strange disconnect? What is it about this movie that is so polarizing? I think much of it is because of just how vicious Caine's character is. He's MUCH colder and more brutal than I've already described...and I didn't want to say more because I didn't want to ruin the film if you decide to watch it. But he clearly is a vicious murderer and kills many during the course of the story...and perhaps this turned viewers off. Heck, I think his character could have killed his mother or a box of puppies if he felt the need to do so. Yet, oddly, despite all this, why didn't he kill this kid when repeatedly the kid seemed like a giant potential problem to his plans?! Plus the ending is VERY downbeat and brutal. But I thought it was very appropriate and interesting....and is a very good film. I also wonder if perhaps there just is something I am not seeing or am not aware of about the film.
Overall, this film is possibly the biggest example of a film mostly hated with a passion that I somehow liked...and liked very much. And, I wish I knew exactly why!
Soon after this, you see how strange and inexplicable Haskell is. While he easily could have just killed the boy to shut him up but didn't, he soon brutally murders one of his compatriots who has wronged him. Surely Haskell is not a man to be trifled with and has little compunction for killing. The same goes with a relationship be develops with an escort. For a while, he treats her amazingly nice, like she's not just some prostitute, but later once she becomes involved in his scheme, he threatens her life if she doesn't follow his orders exactly!
So what is this scheme? Well, Haskell has gotten a rich scum-bag to bankroll a very risky heist--to steal the paper used by the Bank of England for it's money in order to then make the absolute highest quality counterfeits. And, to do so, he gets a man to join his gang who used to work as a driver transporting this paper...a man who is terminally ill and has nothing to lose by helping them. What's next? See the film.
This movie is not exactly for the faint of heart. Caine's character is brutal and you see him very viciously and vividly murder folks with his bare hands...so it's not exactly a film to show the kiddies or your mother! This isn't so much a complaint...more a warning so you know what you're in for if you see "Shadow Run".
So is it any good? I thought so. But you would assume it isn't, as it currently has an overall score of 4.3 on IMDB. And, as I read through some of the reviews I wondered if we all were watching the same movie! After all, some described it as a 'student film', 'dreadful and a complete embarrassment to the cast', 'dull and frequently inept', as well as like a 'tenth rate BBC-TV crime series'!! So, many absolutely hated it and only a few folks apparently think it is worth seeing. Why this strange disconnect? What is it about this movie that is so polarizing? I think much of it is because of just how vicious Caine's character is. He's MUCH colder and more brutal than I've already described...and I didn't want to say more because I didn't want to ruin the film if you decide to watch it. But he clearly is a vicious murderer and kills many during the course of the story...and perhaps this turned viewers off. Heck, I think his character could have killed his mother or a box of puppies if he felt the need to do so. Yet, oddly, despite all this, why didn't he kill this kid when repeatedly the kid seemed like a giant potential problem to his plans?! Plus the ending is VERY downbeat and brutal. But I thought it was very appropriate and interesting....and is a very good film. I also wonder if perhaps there just is something I am not seeing or am not aware of about the film.
Overall, this film is possibly the biggest example of a film mostly hated with a passion that I somehow liked...and liked very much. And, I wish I knew exactly why!