Essex Boys

Amazon.com

The British accents and lingo of Essex Boys are so thick it may help to watch with subtitles--but the moviemaking is clear and crisp. Billy (Charlie Creed-Miles) is a cabdriver who starts getting chauffeuring gigs with some shady characters. But his life remains mild until he's sent to pick up Jason (Sean Bean from Ronin and Lord of the Rings), a short-fused mobster who's just been released from five years in prison. Jason quickly decides to settle some old scores and drags Billy along for the ride. Soon Billy is part of a mob--and finds he likes the money and status that go with it, despite the misgivings of his girlfriend and of his former mentor, Mr. D (Tom Wilkinson). When Jason's volatile jealousy leads him to mistreat his wife Lisa (Alex Kingston from ER), things take a turn for the worse and Billy gets in deeper than he ever expected. In its rough plot outlines, Essex Boys resembles Goodfellas--but the particular British flavor makes this a very different movie. Its gritty realism and attention to detail also separate it from the empty flash of Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels; Essex Boys earns its suspense with sharp writing, strong performances all around, and lean, tight direction. An excellent addition to the recent spate of gangster flicks. --Bret Fetzer

Description

A riveting thriller in the powerful tradition of RESERVOIR DOGS, ESSEX BOYS stars Alex Kingston (TV's ER, THE CROUPIER) and Sean Bean (THE LORD OF THE RINGS, RONIN) in an unforgettable story about a dark criminal underworld where seduction and betrayal are a way of life! When ex-con Jason Locke (Bean) is released from prison, he returns home and realizes that his old cohorts have all profited from the empire he helped build. Trusting no one and attempting to restore his reputation and authority, he sets off a chain of events that shakes up the underworld! Also starring Tom Wilkinson (THE PATRIOT, SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE) and Charlie Creed-Miles (THE FIFTH ELEMENT) -- the action explodes with Locke's maniacal bid to shift the balance of power!

Customer Reviews:

British Equivalent of Goodfellas -- and Just as Good.......2007-03-20

If you like your films with grit and non-sentimentality, then this film is for you.

The ensemble cast is as good as any group Scorcese or Tarantino have put together. Only, these actors are from the mean streets of Essex, England.

The highly underrated (by American audiences) Sean Bean (Boromir, Agent 006 and countless other memorable film characters) brings a realism to his psychotic character worthy of DeNiro and Pesci. (As an aside, Bean also starred alongside DeNiro in an international thriller, Ronin, and more than held his own with the New York City icon).

Alex Kingston (of E.R. fame) brings multiple dimensions to her character as the woman who is controlled by the men in her life and eventually needs to wrest the control for herself.

Tom Wilkinson (of The Full Monty, The Governess and In the Bedroom) adds a touch of crude elegance to his role as a high caliber drug pin.

If you have a hard time with the accents (which can get thick at times) then put on the English subtitles and sit back and enjoy. There is violence, but not more than most American crime films. This films has lots of action, but mostly it has good actors working from a good script, which isn't always the case in these kinds of films.

WOW............2007-01-03

What a great movie......kills the Sopranos in all aspects, actually the Essex boys can kick Tony Sopranos butt.......This movie is the real deal, i'ts as close to a mobsters life you can get in real time Essex, England.

FANTASTIC !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Essex Boys.......2006-11-06

More violence than I normally like to watch, got the video because it had Sean Bean and was quite surprised by it. It takes considerable acting skill to be as good-looking as he is and make you not notice it. If I'd never seen the Sharpe series or anything else except Essex Boys and someone asked me to describe Bean, I would have said "tall, blond and ugly as homemade sin" because somehow, all you see is the dark, misshapen soul of the sick character he plays.
The acting and photography are all good, although the accents were too thick for my American ears, had to use sub-titles. The story was too sad and too violent for my taste, felt depressed as much as entertained. But if you like the genre, this is a well-made and engrossing film.

Very Good British Crime Drama!.......2006-10-19

"Essex Boys" is a very good British gangster flick. The main character Jason Locke (Sean Bean) has just been released from prison. After a very long stay, he finds that he is on the outside looking in. With the drug ecstasy making some of his former friends and acquaintances a fortune, he decides that he wants in on the action. And not just a little action, but a partnership. However, he is asking for more than he bargained for.

Enter John Dyke (Tom Wilkinson) who has already had his feel of prison; and although he is running drugs [on a low key basis] Jason Locke demands that he be made a partner with full entitlement to funds from the lucrative drug market. The problem is that Jason Locke is too wild in his ways, whereas John Dyke wants to be low key. Moreover, John has already stated that he doesn't ever want to see the inside of a prison again, and will do anything to see this never happens again: And for him, Jason Locke is a threat.

Another character in the film, Billy (Creed-Miles) is the only sympathetic character in the film. He is not a killer or bad person, he just hangs out with the wrong crowd. He has been hired by Jason to be his driver. At the same time, he is an acquaintance of John Dyke. Events occur [no spoilers] in which Billy finds he is not safe anywhere. The film is great, and Sean Bean gives an outstanding performance as a hot-headed ex-con, who finds he has pushed John Dyke a little too far. Highly recommended. [Stars: 4.5]

Is This What It's Like To Be A Gangster?.......2006-09-01

There is nothing attractive about a life of crime as portrayed in this film, and that is one of its strongest suites. Based on actual events, it's a study of criminal existence at its most bleak---and hats off to the filmmakers and the cast for the pristine starkness of it all. There's certainly nothing romantic or cool about these people who respect no one and nothing.
I viewed it because I like the actors and was curious to see what they'd do with material like this. Sean Bean has villainy down to a fine art---but note that his villains aren't charming or any kind of ad for youth to plug into. We don't want to identify with his bad guys, we just want them to get their just deserts. (Bean is all the more a treat when he has an heroic role to sink his teeth into like Sharpe, Neil Byrne, or Boromir---even his heroes are flawed, which says something about the roles he chooses---but he is always intriguingly watchable.) Alex Kingston, Tom Wilkinson, and Charlie Creed-Meyers are all uncomfortably fine in their respective roles of abused wife, partner in crime, and hapless wheel-man.
Others have termed this drama "gritty" and that is is, but I think it goes even farther---it is a cautionary tale.

Average customer rating:

Boy in the plastic bubble
Superb Movie!
The Boy In The Plastic Bubble Is A Good Movie!
Great Movie!
Good!

The Boy in the Plastic Bubble
Starring: John Travolta , Glynnis O'Connor , Robert Reed , Diana Hyland , and Karen Morrow
Director: Randal Kleiser
Manufacturer: Essex
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: 6304701470
Release Date: 1997-10-21

Amazon.com

Before their blockbuster collaboration on Grease, John Travolta and director Randal Kleiser boosted their early careers with this well-acted, sensitively directed television movie. Teenager Tod Lubitch (Travolta) is forced to live in a plastic isolation chamber because he was born with a non-functioning immune system, leaving him vulnerable to even the most common everyday viruses. A unique coming-of-age story, the movie (first telecast in 1976) has become the subject of jokes over the years, but Travolta's comeback has sparked new interest in the star's Welcome Back, Kotter days. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

Boy in the plastic bubble.......2006-11-08

I havent seen this for years but when I sat down and watched it again it was amazing to see how far medicine has come today and fashion haha
John Travolta fans would like this he was great in this movie recommend it as a definite rainy night movie in

Superb Movie!.......2005-10-08

I saw the movie The Boy in the Plastic Bubble and I liked it. It is based on a true story but chages were made like the name and age of the boy. The movie was originally shown on TV back in 1976 and the main star of the movie is John Travolta as a teenage boy named Tod Lubitch who was born with a malfunctioning immune system and he had to stay inside a plastic chamber away from germs. In the movie his parents were played by Robert Reed and Diana Hyland and Glynnis O'Connor played the girl who lived next door and her character started off as a mean brat but later became his friend and they are all good! I can't believe the insensitive review by the guy claiming to be a Republican and slamming the movie and the kids illness as an attack against republicans. His review sounds like political paranoia run amuck! I'm not a political type of person (Politics bore me to tears!) but I have Republicans in my family who strongly disagree with him!

The Boy In The Plastic Bubble Is A Good Movie!.......2005-10-08

I saw the movie The Boy in the Plastic Bubble and I liked it. This movie I believe originally aired on TV in 1976 and it is very good! John Travolta stars as a teenager named Todd Lubitch who is has to live in a plastic chamber because he has a nonfunctioning immune system and germs are extremely dangerous for him. The movie also stars Robert Reed and Diana Hyland as his parents and Glynnis O'Connor as the teenage girl who lives next door who started off as a mean brat but later befriended him. I highly recommend this movie!

Great Movie!.......2005-10-07

I watched this movie The Boy in the Plastic Bubble and I thought it was a great movie! John Travolta was very good as a teenager named Todd Lubitch who was born with a immune system deficiency that forces him to live in a plastic isolation chamber away from germs which are very dangerous for him! The movie also stars Diana Hyland and Robert Reed as Todd's parents and Glynnis O'Connor as the teenage girl who lives next door who statred off an a mean brat but later became his friend. The whole cast was great but especially John Travolta. This movie is loosely based on a true story and and I very highly recommend it.

Good!.......2005-08-24

I saw this movie kid and I really liked it and thought John Travolta was very good as a teenager named Todd Lubitch who was born with a disorder that makes germs extremely dangerous for him so he has to live in a plastic isolation chamber. The movie also stars Robert Reed and Diana Hyland as his parents and Glynnis O'Connor as the girl next door and they were good too. Glynnis O'Connor's character Gina starts off as a snotty brat but thankfully becomes nicer.

Average customer rating:

Essex Boys [Region 2]
Starring: Sean Bean , Alex Kingston , Charlie Creed-Miles , Tom Wilkinson , and Larry Lamb
Director: Terry Winsor
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00005JI01

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