April 8, 2008
Flashbacks of a fool is the story of Joe Scott (Daniel Craig), a movie star facing the end of his career having enjoyed a number of years living the life of a playboy. The film begins by showing you Joe as a young boy playing with his best friend and before the end of the credits has jumped to an older Joe taking cocaine whilst in a threesome with two girls. You then observe the effects this is having on his career before going back through his life to see how he got there.
If you want to see the film for “James Bond”, don’t go! Although Daniel Craig does his usual fine job of playing the main character (and there are some excellent images of his naked bottom), he is probably in less than half of the film, since the rest of the film is a flashback to his teens, where he is played (excellently) by Harry Eden. You watch as a number of experiences in the early 70s sculpt Joe’s life and witness the reasons for his behaviour in the credits.
The camera work is excellent, with beautiful images of a very peaceful British coastline accompanied by a fantastic soundtrack. There are some great performances from Felicity Jones, Olivia Williams and Jodhi May playing young Joe’s love interest, mother and sexual educator. Miriam Karlin also provides some entertainment as the nosy old lady with set views on the behaviour of young children.
‘Flashbacks of a Fool’ is a well-made film and there can be few criticisms of its production. However, coming out of the film it occurred to me that nothing had really happened - just a slightly depressing story with an almost happy ending. And then it hit me. This film is totally unnecessary!
If you want to see the film for “James Bond”, don’t go! Although Daniel Craig does his usual fine job of playing the main character (and there are some excellent images of his naked bottom), he is probably in less than half of the film, since the rest of the film is a flashback to his teens, where he is played (excellently) by Harry Eden. You watch as a number of experiences in the early 70s sculpt Joe’s life and witness the reasons for his behaviour in the credits.
The camera work is excellent, with beautiful images of a very peaceful British coastline accompanied by a fantastic soundtrack. There are some great performances from Felicity Jones, Olivia Williams and Jodhi May playing young Joe’s love interest, mother and sexual educator. Miriam Karlin also provides some entertainment as the nosy old lady with set views on the behaviour of young children.
‘Flashbacks of a Fool’ is a well-made film and there can be few criticisms of its production. However, coming out of the film it occurred to me that nothing had really happened - just a slightly depressing story with an almost happy ending. And then it hit me. This film is totally unnecessary!