Filth (film)

Last updated

Filth
Filthposter.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Jon S. Baird
Screenplay byJon S. Baird
Based on Filth
by Irvine Welsh
Produced by
Starring
Cinematography Matthew Jensen
Edited byMark Eckersley
Music by Clint Mansell
Production
companies
Distributed by
  • Lionsgate (United Kingdom)
  • Ascot Elite (Germany) [2]
  • Noble Entertainment (Sweden) [3]
Release dates
  • 16 September 2013 (2013-09-16)(Old Town Taito International
    Comedy Film Festival)
  • 27 September 2013 (2013-09-27)(Scotland)
Running time
97 minutes [4]
Countries
LanguageEnglish
Box office$9.1 million [5]

Filth is a 2013 psychological black comedy crime thriller film written and directed by Jon S. Baird, based on Irvine Welsh's 1998 novel Filth . The film was released on 27 September 2013 in Scotland, 4 October 2013 elsewhere in the United Kingdom and in Ireland, and on 30 May 2014 in the United States. [6] It stars James McAvoy, Jamie Bell, and Jim Broadbent.

Contents

Filth also marks the final film appearance of David Soul, in a cameo role.

The film is set in Edinburgh. In the film, a misanthropic Detective Sergeant is investigating a murder case, while his mental health deteriorates following the end of his marriage. He is suffering from bipolar disorder, feelings of guilt over the death of his brother, a newfound need to cross-dress as his wife, and (eventually) suicidal ideation.

Plot

Edinburgh Detective Sergeant Bruce Robertson, a scheming, manipulative, misanthropic bully, spends his free time indulging in drugs, alcohol, abusive sexual relationships, and "the games" – his euphemism for vindictive plots he hatches to cause trouble for people he dislikes, including many of his colleagues in the Lothian and Borders Police.

Bruce also delights in bullying and taking advantage of his mild-mannered friend Clifford Blades, a member of Bruce's masonic lodge, whose wife, Bunty, is the target of his repeated obscene phone calls. He only shows genuine warmth to Mary and her young son, the widowed wife and child of a man whom he tries and fails to resuscitate after he suffers a heart attack in the street.

As the story begins, Bruce's main goal is to gain a promotion to become Detective Inspector (DI), the path to which appears to open when he is assigned to oversee the investigation into the murder of a Japanese exchange student. However, Bruce slowly loses his grip on reality as he works the case and has more and more vivid hallucinations.

It is ultimately revealed through dream-like exchanges with Dr. Rossi, Bruce's psychiatrist, that he is on medication for bipolar disorder and has repressed immense feelings of guilt over a childhood accident that led to the death of his younger brother. We learn his wife Carole has left him and is denying him access to his daughter Stacey.

These domestic issues sparked his desperate bid for promotion, played a part in his unusual displays of kindness toward Mary and her son, and have also led him to start cross-dressing as his wife when off duty in order to "keep her close" to him.

While wandering the streets on such an occasion, Bruce is kidnapped by a street gang led by the thuggish Gorman – who are responsible for the murder – and badly beaten. However, he manages to kill Gorman by throwing him through a window and is found by his colleagues. Bruce not only misses out on the promotion as a result of the events, but is in fact demoted to Constable and is reassigned to uniform, while rookie Ray Lennox is promoted to Detective Inspector.

Afterwards, Blades receives a tape of Bruce apologising. Bruce then prepares to take his own life by hanging, but is interrupted at the last moment by Mary and her son knocking at his front door. He then breaks the fourth wall and addresses the audience repeating his catchphrase – "same rules apply" – and laughs as the chair slips from under him.

Cast

Production

Welsh's novel was published in 1998, but over the following years the project was passed between producers and acquired a reputation of being "un-filmable". [7]

Music

Track listing

Source: [8]

No.TitleArtist(s)Length
1."Robbo's Theme" Clint Mansell 1:14
2."Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow" The Shirelles 0:17
3."Love Really Hurts Without You" Billy Ocean 2:42
4."Silver Lady" David Soul 3:00
5."It's All Over Me" Otis Blackwell 3:43
6."Born To Be Wild" Wilson Pickett 2:44
7."Supermarket Emptiness" Clint Mansell 0:37
8."Creep"Clint Mansell & Coco Sumner2:07
9."Dr Love" Tom Jones 4:12
10."Mercy"The Third Degree1:51
11."Backdoor Santa" Clarence Carter 3:20
Total length:25:47

Other notable pieces include [9]

Reception

Box office

The film earned £250,000 in the box office revenue during its opening weekend in Scotland, reaching number one in the charts. [10] It grossed £842,167 ($1.4m) in the following weekend, when it went on general release throughout the United Kingdom. [11] The film ultimately ended up grossing $9.1 million worldwide. [5]

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 66% based on 97 reviews and an average rating of 6.20/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Warped, grimy and enthusiastically unpleasant, Filth lives up to its title splendidly." [12] The film also has a score of 56 out of 100 on Metacritic based on 24 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews". [13]

Related Research Articles

<i>Tin Cup</i> 1996 US romantic comedy/sports film by Ron Shelton

Tin Cup is a 1996 American romantic comedy and sports film co-written and directed by Ron Shelton, and starring Kevin Costner and Rene Russo with Cheech Marin and Don Johnson in major supporting roles. The film received generally positive reviews from critics and performed moderately at the box office, grossing $75.8 million against its $45 million budget. Costner received a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy.

<i>The Singing Detective</i> (film) 2003 American film by Keith Gordon

The Singing Detective is a 2003 American musical crime comedy film directed by Keith Gordon and loosely based on the BBC serial of the same name, a work by British writer Dennis Potter. It stars Robert Downey Jr. and features a supporting cast that includes Katie Holmes, Adrien Brody, Robin Wright Penn, Mel Gibson, Jeremy Northam and Carla Gugino as well as a number of songs from the 1950s.

<i>Jimmy Hollywood</i> 1994 American film

Jimmy Hollywood is a 1994 American comedy film written and directed by Barry Levinson and starring Joe Pesci and Christian Slater. It was released on April 1, 1994, and was a box office bomb, grossing just $3 million against its $30 million budget.

<i>Coneheads</i> (film) 1993 film by Steve Barron

Coneheads is a 1993 American science-fiction comedy film from Paramount Pictures, produced by Lorne Michaels, directed by Steve Barron, and starring Dan Aykroyd, Jane Curtin and Michelle Burke. The film is based on the NBC Saturday Night Live comedy sketches about aliens stranded on Earth, who have Anglicized their Remulakian surname to "Conehead". Michelle Burke took over the role played by Laraine Newman on SNL. The film also features roles and cameos by actors and comedians from SNL and other television series of the time.

<i>Filth</i> (novel) 1998 novel by Irvine Welsh

Filth is a 1998 novel by Scottish writer Irvine Welsh. It was adapted into a 2013 film of the same name, directed by Jon S. Baird with James McAvoy in the lead role. A sequel, Crime, was published in 2008.

<i>Stealing Harvard</i> 2002 American film

Stealing Harvard is a 2002 American slapstick action comedy film directed by Bruce McCulloch and written by Martin Hynes and Peter Tolan, about a man who resorts to crime to pay for his niece's Harvard tuition. The film stars Jason Lee and Tom Green with Leslie Mann, Dennis Farina, Richard Jenkins, John C. McGinley, Tammy Blanchard, and Megan Mullally. It was released on September 13, 2002 by Sony Pictures Releasing under their Columbia Pictures label. Film critic reviews were generally negative.

Steven Robertson is a Scottish actor who stars as Detective Sandy Wilson in the BBC One adaptation of Ann Cleeves's Shetland, filmed near where Robertson was born and brought up. He portrayed Michael Connelly, a young man with cerebral palsy, in Inside I'm Dancing, and played Dominic Rook in the popular BBC Three comedy-drama series Being Human. He has had roles in numerous television programs including Luther and The Bletchley Circle.

<i>Mulholland Falls</i> 1996 film by Lee Tamahori

Mulholland Falls is a 1996 American neo-noir crime thriller film directed by Lee Tamahori, written by Pete Dexter, and starring an ensemble cast featuring Nick Nolte, Jennifer Connelly, Chazz Palminteri, Michael Madsen, Chris Penn, Melanie Griffith, Andrew McCarthy, Treat Williams, and John Malkovich.

<i>Starter for 10</i> (film) 2006 film by Tom Vaughan

Starter for 10 is a 2006 British comedy-drama film directed by Tom Vaughan from a screenplay by David Nicholls, adapted from his 2003 novel Starter for Ten. The film stars James McAvoy as a university student who wins a place on a University Challenge quiz team. It premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2006, and was released in the UK and Ireland on 10 November 2006, and in Canada and the US on 23 February 2007.

<i>Art School Confidential</i> 2006 film by Terry Zwigoff

Art School Confidential is a 2006 American comedy-drama film directed by Terry Zwigoff and starring Max Minghella, Sophia Myles, John Malkovich, Jim Broadbent, Matt Keeslar, Ethan Suplee, Joel Moore, Nick Swardson, Adam Scott, and Anjelica Huston. About Jerome (Minghella) who enrolls in art school and is loosely based on the comic of the same name by Daniel Clowes. The film is Zwigoff's second collaboration with Clowes, the first being 2001's Ghost World, which was also released by United Artists. The film received polarized reviews from critics.

<i>Mr. Brooks</i> 2007 American film

Mr. Brooks is a 2007 American psychological thriller film directed by Bruce A. Evans starring Kevin Costner, Demi Moore, Dane Cook, and William Hurt. It was released on June 1, 2007. The film follows the eponymous character, a celebrated Portland businessman and serial killer (Costner) who is forced to take on a protégé (Cook) after being blackmailed, and has to contend with his bloodthirsty alter ego (Hurt) who convinces him to indulge his "habit". His life grows even more complicated when a driven police officer (Moore) reopens the investigation into his murders. The film received mixed reviews and grossed $48.1 million against a $20 million budget.

<i>Death Defying Acts</i> 2007 British film

Death Defying Acts is a British-Australian 2007 supernatural romance film, directed by Gillian Armstrong, and starring Guy Pearce and Catherine Zeta-Jones. It concerns an episode in the life of Hungarian-American escapologist Harry Houdini at the height of his career in the 1920s. It was screened in a special presentation at the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival.

<i>Filth and Wisdom</i> 2008 film by Madonna

Filth and Wisdom is a 2008 British comedy-drama film directed by Madonna, starring Eugene Hütz, Holly Weston, Vicky McClure and Richard E. Grant. It was filmed on location in London, England, from 14 to 29 May 2007. Locations included two actual strip clubs in Hammersmith and Swiss Cottage; both owned by the Secrets Clubs chain. Additional scenes were shot in July 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James McAvoy</span> Scottish actor (born 1979)

James McAvoy is a Scottish actor. He made his acting debut as a teen in The Near Room (1995) and appeared mostly on television until 2003, when his film career began. His notable television work includes the thriller State of Play (2003), the science fiction miniseries Frank Herbert's Children of Dune (2003), and the drama series Shameless (2004–2005).

<i>Maos Last Dancer</i> (film) 2009 Australian film

Mao's Last Dancer is a 2009 Australian film based on professional dancer Li Cunxin's 2003 autobiographical memoir of the same name. Li Cunxin is portrayed by Birmingham Royal Ballet Principal Dancer Chi Cao, Australian Ballet dancer Chengwu Guo and Huang Wen Bin. The film also stars Bruce Greenwood, Kyle MacLachlan, Joan Chen and Amanda Schull.

<i>The Lincoln Lawyer</i> (film) 2011 U.S. film by Brad Furman

The Lincoln Lawyer is a 2011 American legal thriller film adapted from the 2005 novel of the same title by Michael Connelly. The film is directed by Brad Furman, with the screenplay written by John Romano, and stars Matthew McConaughey as the titular lawyer, Mickey Haller. The film also stars Ryan Phillippe, Marisa Tomei, Josh Lucas, John Leguizamo, William H. Macy, and Bryan Cranston.

<i>The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby</i> 2013 American film

The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby is the collective title of three films written and directed by Ned Benson in his directorial debut, and starring Jessica Chastain and James McAvoy, alongside a supporting cast of Viola Davis, Bill Hader, Katherine Waterston, Ciarán Hinds, Isabelle Huppert, and William Hurt. After the film split into three parts, Him and Her were screened at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival as a "work in progress". Them premiered in the Un Certain Regard section of the 2014 Cannes Film Festival. Them premiered in the United States on September 12, 2014, while Him and Her were released together as double feature on October 10, 2014.

<i>Victor Frankenstein</i> (film) 2015 American science fantasy horror film by Paul McGuigan

Victor Frankenstein is a 2015 American science fantasy horror film based on contemporary adaptations of Mary Shelley's 1818 novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus. It is directed by Paul McGuigan and written by Max Landis and stars Daniel Radcliffe, James McAvoy, Jessica Brown Findlay, Andrew Scott, and Charles Dance. The film was released by 20th Century Fox on November 25, 2015.

<i>My Son</i> (2021 Christian Carion film) 2021 film

My Son is a 2021 mystery thriller film written and directed by Christian Carion. It is an English-language remake of Carion's 2017 French film Mon garçon, and stars James McAvoy and Claire Foy. McAvoy was not supplied with a script or dialogue, only the knowledge of his own character's backstory, and improvises his way through the film.

<i>The Book of Clarence</i> 2023 film by Jeymes Samuel

The Book of Clarence is a 2023 American biblical comedy-drama film written and directed by Jeymes Samuel, and produced by Samuel, Jay-Z, James Lassiter, and Tendo Nagenda. The film stars LaKeith Stanfield, Omar Sy, RJ Cyler, Anna Diop, David Oyelowo, Micheal Ward, Alfre Woodard, Teyana Taylor, Caleb McLaughlin, Eric Kofi-Abrefa, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, James McAvoy, and Benedict Cumberbatch. It follows a struggling down-on-his-luck man named Clarence living in A.D. 33 Jerusalem who looks to capitalize on the rise of Jesus Christ, by claiming to be a new Messiah sent by God, in an attempt to free himself of debt and start a life of glory for himself.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Filth-BFI". Archived from the original on 31 January 2017.
  2. 1 2 "Drecksau". filmportal.de . Retrieved 24 July 2021.
  3. ↑ "Filth | Noble Entertainment". nobleentertainment.com . Retrieved 16 August 2024.
  4. ↑ "FILTH (18)". Lions Gate Entertainment . British Board of Film Classification. 15 July 2013. Retrieved 22 September 2013.
  5. 1 2 "Filth (2013)". The Numbers . Retrieved 12 April 2016.
  6. ↑ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1450321/releaseinfo?ref_=tt_dt_dt [ better source needed ]
  7. ↑ Ford, Matt (11 September 2013). "Irvine Welsh: The 'unfilmable' Filth finally makes it to the big screen". The Independent . Retrieved 10 October 2016.
  8. ↑ "Filth Soundtrack (2013)". Soundtrack.Net. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  9. ↑ All 170 songs from the Filth (2013) Soundtrack , retrieved 29 May 2021
  10. ↑ "Filth tops Scottish box office". The Scotsman. 30 September 2013. Retrieved 8 October 2013.
  11. ↑ Sandwell, Ian (7 October 2013). "Prisoners locks in UK box office lead". Screen International. Retrieved 8 October 2013.
  12. ↑ Filth at Rotten Tomatoes
  13. ↑ Filth at Metacritic OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.