Director:Â Jake Gavin
Cast: Peter Mullan,  Keith Allen,  Natalie Gavin,  Sharon Rooney, Sarah Solemani,  Ewan Stewart
Running time:Â 86 mins
Rating:Â 15
Release date:Â December 11th, 2015
You definitely know where you are with Peter Mullan. This fine Scottish actor certainly knows how to evoke raw emotion and has consistently managed to provide performances of desperate but determined individuals hit at all sides by the toughness of life. Whilst he may not hit the heights of a Sean Connery or a James McEvoy, he is intelligent and assured given the right vehicle.
HECTOR is another in those character studies, as Mullan’s homeless journeyman travels south from Scotland to London for Christmas to get his share of cheer in a community forgotten by the working and able of society. It is a pretty bleak film at times and understandable given the subject matter, but it certainly provides a fair share of laughs and insight as Mullan continues to his goal and should be applauded for its empathy and honesty.
Indirectly (perhaps strangely) for me, the film recalls Wim Wenders‘ PARIS TEXAS (1984), a similar story of a lone wandering individual, although Harry Dean Stanton’s mysterious man has more foundation than Mullan’s and pathos because of his relationships which establish themselves towards the end (not revealing the wonderful payoff in that film if you haven’t seen that classic, scored by Ry Cooder)
Mullan is one of the best Scottish exports and is always reliable, so I would definitely, as others would, welcome a performance in a blockbuster from him. He does suggest the poise and energy of a Bill Murray and could see him in a film like LOST IN TRANSLATION or STRIPES.
In the meantime, enjoy HECTOR and its honest, assured depiction.
Verdict
