The Big Ugly: The three lead actors are at the top of their game
Vinnie Jones has built a remarkable career since he retired from football in the acting world, with the likes of a remake of GONE IN 60 SECONDS and Guy Ritchie’s LOCK, STOCK AND TWO SMOKING BARRELS amongst his ever-growing filmography. In real-life, the tragic passing of his long-term love and wife Tanya hit him understandably hard, but life does go on and Jones has shown tremendous determination and courage which, regardless of your own opinion of him as a person or professional, has to be applauded.
His latest film, THE BIG UGLY, is dedicated in loving memory to Tanya – and whilst it is a rather familiar gangster film scenario, it is a pretty good film to pay tribute with. Jones is Neelyn, the sidekick to London top dog Harris (Malcolm McDowell) who has come to West Virginia to seal a multi-million pound deal in a local oil business to make the money laundered from illicit operations legal with local gangster Preston (Ron Perlman).
Neelyn’s girlfriend Fiona (Lenora Crichlow) is also along for the ride, but when Neelyn gets thrown out of a local bar for violent conduct, Preston’s son, Junior (Brandon Sklenar) takes advantage and treats her to drinks back in the bar whilst Neelyn sleeps off his own hangover. However, when Fiona is discovered dead in a riverside ditch, Neelyn is determined to find out the truth, even if it costs his boss the deal…
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As mentioned, up to a point, THE BIG UGLY is familiar and could be what could have happened in a sequel to THE LONG GOOD FRIDAY if Harold Shand had decided to commit to a deal with Eddie without any problems that occurred in that film. What takes it in a different direction is the revenge plot which leads to a climax that is reminiscent visually of the likes of FIRST BLOOD and SOUTHERN COMFORT.
The three lead actors are at the top of their game and Jones is given good complimentary vibes from McDowell and Perlman, who command the screen expertly (and all three have producing credits in some shape or form here).
Writer and director Scott Wiper, working from a story he co-wrote with Paul Tarantino, makes an effort to give the story additional depth without resorting to traditional clichés of both the American and British gangster traditions. The cinematography adds to the positives of the film and it is one of Jones’ best films. One hopes that there will be more to come from him. He does very well here.
