Nil by Mouth

Amazon.com

Gary Oldman took a break from acting to write and direct this unflinching family drama out of the kitchen-sink British school. Oldman doesn't appear in the film, instead handing the heavy lifting to the remarkable Ray Winstone (Sexy Beast, Cold Mountain) and Kathy Burke, who won a prize at the Cannes Film Festival for her work. The scummy drug trade of lower-class London is Oldman's turf, but he puts special focus on the miserable cycles of violence that fuel a family's struggle within this world. The results are not always easy to watch, but they are devastating (and the final sequence is chilling). Oldman may be guilty of indulging his actors a bit, but it's forgivable, given the big, roaring performances. One advantage of watching the movie on DVD, at least for non-British audiences: the chance to check subtitles against the heavily accented dialogue. --Robert Horton

Customer Reviews:

Harrowing Tale of Redemption.......2007-01-22

A brutal, harrowing film about domestic violence filled with the most swearing probably ever committed to film. Worth seeing for the amazing performances of the two leads, most notably the abusive husband played to perfection by Ray Winstone. Directed by Gary Oldman and loosely based on his own experiences growing up this is one childhood noone would want repeated.

Unflinching look at Working-Class life in Blairite Britain.......2006-12-13

British cinema is thoroughly disappointing at the best of times. Its product seems to consist of either unbearably lightweight pap or wooden and earnest social commentary that bores with its incessant sermonising. Occasionally (i.e. once a generation) you may get a film like The Long Good Friday but these are far and few between. Seeing the average British film would make anyone think that here is a nation that hasn't a clue how to make a picture.

To those who might be of that opinion, I cannot recommend watching Nil By Mouth highly enough. It is a work of astonishing intensity and visceral power. It is quite unlike any British film that I've ever seen and so real and true is its portrayal of London working class life that it felt more like a '70s Pacino/De Niro movie like "Raging Bull" or "Panic In Needle Park" than what we have to come to expect from the British Film industry.

Although Nil By Mouth is a multi-layered work that has many sub-themes, to my mind there are two central ones. The first is that of a portrait of a working class community in London, done with force, power, crude humor and gritty realism. Why do I often encounter people in London who behave exactly like this but seldom see this reflected in British cinema? It's probably because of the highly conservative nature of the film industry in that country and hats off to Gary Oldman for getting this truly excellent screenplay out amidst such an environment.

The second main theme is that of a man with a pathological inability to express himself in any way other than violence and brutality and who despite his worst urges still manages to come to some sort of understanding as to the source of his unremmitting ability to cause pain to those closest to him. I could single out Ray Winstone's performance but that would be unfair to the rest of the cast who all excel equally at providing thoroughly real and believable characters and situations. And Nil By Mouth's intensity is such that you find yourself captivated from start to finish. By the end, you really feel that you've lived their lives and suffered and celebrated along with these grungy roughnecks.

As for the quality of the DVD itself, I think it's pretty unimpressive and obviously not much care was taken with the transfer. But ultimately it fails to dent this startling snapshot of the dark side of Britain, one that all too often gets swept under the carpet amidst more easily digestible mediocrity.

Mullered.......2006-08-12

Gary Oldman's excellent portrayal of life on the edge in London. Aside from the excellent performances from Kathy Burke and Ray Winstone (not forgetting the underrated Charlie Creed Miles), the movie is beautifully shot in a very painterly, European style (the influence of producer Luc Besson perhaps) and features a poignant soundtrack including pieces by Eric Clapton.
Yes, one can argue that Miles' Billy is given too much screen time and Winstone is given too little to develop the narrative thread involving Ray's alcoholism, but these are minor quibbles given the overall strength of the performances. Also worth mentioning is Jamie Foreman's Mark, Ray's anecdote spouting best friend.
Overall, an important British movie by any standard.

It's something different.......2004-02-12

When i first saw this movie in the store i thought it was just some kind of movie with just violence and language but when you see it it's something different for a change a family selling drugs

Takes too long to get going.......2004-01-27

NIL BY MOUTH is a film that focusses on domestic violence, alcoholism and day-to-day life in a working class area of London.

Actor Gary Oldman directed this film and it is very raw in parts, and hard to watch.

The main problem with the film is that it takes too long for anything to really happen. In addition, too much time is devoted to the character of Bill (who is quite an uninteresting character).

The film really only pulls you in when the big guy starts beating up his wife. This is of course extremely sad to watch but lifts you from the dullness of the film. I was just about to nod off when this scene happened.