July 24, 2007
Shallow as a pauper's grave, Outlaw is a manipulative movie with arthouse pretensions. Posing a seemingly original scenario, it actually dresses in second hand clothes, shaking the camera and scuffing up dirt as if 28 Days Later had never happened.
Cynical about lawmen and lawbreakers, Outlaw is ballsy enough to shoot in stunning countryside locations - seeming to shatter an urban myth by dragging city-style scum into middle England.
With hackneyed dialogue and black and white set-ups this plays out like a BNP script shot in Midsomer Murders territory.
Queasily riding on everyone's fears of violence and crime, it covers itself by seeming to highlight the outlaws' inconsistent, naive philosophies.
As pleasant as an unprovoked attack, it's a waste of Dyer and Sean Bean. It could learn a thing or two from London to Brighton, which brought low-life to the fore in a compelling tale.
Some stunning photography - cityscapes and artfully shot country settings - shows what Nick Love can do: and this non-shaky camerawork is certainly the film's strongest suit.
As a movie, it's redundant and inconsequential. If there's truth in it, it's as a cri de coeur from the law-abiding majority. But, put into the mouths of misfits and inadequates, it shoots way wide of the mark.
Cynical about lawmen and lawbreakers, Outlaw is ballsy enough to shoot in stunning countryside locations - seeming to shatter an urban myth by dragging city-style scum into middle England.
With hackneyed dialogue and black and white set-ups this plays out like a BNP script shot in Midsomer Murders territory.
Queasily riding on everyone's fears of violence and crime, it covers itself by seeming to highlight the outlaws' inconsistent, naive philosophies.
As pleasant as an unprovoked attack, it's a waste of Dyer and Sean Bean. It could learn a thing or two from London to Brighton, which brought low-life to the fore in a compelling tale.
Some stunning photography - cityscapes and artfully shot country settings - shows what Nick Love can do: and this non-shaky camerawork is certainly the film's strongest suit.
As a movie, it's redundant and inconsequential. If there's truth in it, it's as a cri de coeur from the law-abiding majority. But, put into the mouths of misfits and inadequates, it shoots way wide of the mark.