SYNOPSICS
High Heels and Low Lifes (2001) is a English movie. Mel Smith has directed this movie. Kevin McNally,Minnie Driver,Mary McCormack,Mark Williams are the starring of this movie. It was released in 2001. High Heels and Low Lifes (2001) is considered one of the best Action,Comedy,Drama movie in India and around the world.
Two best girlfriends, Shannon (Minnie Driver) and Frances (Mary McCormack), living in London, suddenly find themselves battling wits with seasoned criminals when they decide to blackmail the culprits of a bank heist in their neighborhood rather than reporting the crime to the Police. Refusing to be played by this new competition and give up the demanded two million dollars, the leaders of the gang of robbers, Mason (Kevin McNally ) and Kerrigan (Sir Michael Gambon), decide to start playing dirty tricks, threaten violence and counterfeit money in an effort to throw the two women off course. When the blackmail and counter attacks hurt an innocent bystander, the kooky best friends must use their friendship to empower each other to lure the hardened criminals into a risky trap.
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High Heels and Low Lifes (2001) Reviews
Finally, a balanced crime-comedy
Most crime films that purport to be funny usually end up with a few too many laughs, making their criminals bumbling morons. Which may make for some great laughter, but with no real menace to make you wonder why they're criminals to begin with. Not this film - the balance between menace and comedy is carried out perfectly. The criminals are allowed to be menacing and intelligent (for the most part) while the two leads get on with the job of comedy. At least until the end, when it goes just a bit too far... My major problem with the film is the relationship between Driver and McCormack. It never quite gels - although that could just be my inability to see McCormack's performance as anything other than Donna Air with an American accent! All in all, worth a look - but not exactly an Oscar winner.
Nice little film that too few people have seen.
Certainly a twist, two very attractive young ladies (Minnie Driver and Mary McCormack) overhear a phone conversation about a heist in London, decide to extort money to be used for buying medical equipment for the hospital where Driver is a nurse. Trouble starts when they underestimate how dangerous the crooks are. People are shot, a car is blown up, but although hurt and wounded no one actually dies. There's really no deep message here, but they end up getting the money while the crooks get caught. Mostly it is just fun watching the bungling and the funny interplay between the two ladies, and Michael Gambon is good as the droll crime boss who finally orders, "Bring me their testicles in a jar!" Fat chance. :-) I saw it on DVD and the picture is remarkably clear and sharp. The Dolby 5.1 sound is fairly well done also. If I were to compare it to other British comedies, I thought "Snatch" and "Trainspotting" were better, but this one is better than such films as "Full Monty", "Smoking Barrels", "Brassed Off."
Starsky and Hutch Meets AbFab
High Heels and Low Lifes The trailer tells us this is the next Thelma and Louise,' but this wild and spicy flick is more like Starsky and Hutch meets Absolutely Fabulous. Brought to us by the veddy British, Fragile Films, the same people that brought us Spice World and is currently between two Wilde takes; 99's Ideal Husband' and next year's Importance of Being Ernest.' Girls just want to have fun. The overall theme is that old-time-Hitchcock-religion where Joe Everyman becomes unwittingly entangled into crime and intrigue. The stars are Minnie Driver and Mary McCormack as a nurse and thespian respectively. These are the two Joanne Everybodies with a UK twist of sophisticated slapstick like Peter Sellers as Inspector Clouseau. These women are presented as smart, strong and beautiful. Yay. And all the guys are either corrupt or useless. Just like real life. Min has a dumb boyfriend who's electronic eavesdropping picks up a cell phone mid-bank heist. Mary, the actress, fresh from a looping session with an animated tomato, sees the overheard phone conversation as an economic opportunity to squeeze the bad guys. `They'll never listen to a woman,' insists Driver. Mary says, This is the twenty-first century and we do all jobs now.' Minnie crosses with `Do you want to extort money or raise consciousness?' Mary's answer, `Both!' The rehearsals for the blackmail phone calls to the bad guys are a hoot. The writing comes from two comedy vets from the BBC, Km Fuller who cut his teeth on Red Dwarf' and Georgia Pritchett from the sassy Smack The Pony' and nicely directed by Mel Smith who did Mr. Bean.' Highlights include a very nice travelling matte midsection when both sides rally to battle reminiscent of the opening title sequence to Knots Landing and a smashing performance from Sir Michael Gambon, the great character actor which is another word for interesting.
On the whole, well worth the effort.
I approached this film with much trepidation, as I had heard no comments - good or bad - about it, and I have to say I was suitably impressed. The performances, particularly by Minnie Driver and Mary McCormack, were spot on, and the script was both witty and original in equal measure. Mark Williams as the acidly sarcastic Detective and Hugh Bonneville as the irate farmer are particular delights. On the whole (though a little slow to start) this film is funny, original and well worth the effort.
Implausible but fun.
This movie starts out unremarkable, but it gets better, so stick with it. It is alternately silly (mostly in the first and last 15 minutes) and edgy (in the middle), but if you can ignore the various implausibilities (why would such a well-organized and highly professional team of robbers have such a moron as their lookout in the first place?) it's fun, with engaging performances particularly by Minnie Driver and Kevin McNally (who does the right thing by playing his role straight). In any case, it is much better than the very similar and mean-spirited "Beautiful Creatures" from the same year. (**1/2)