Using the C Word

44 Inch Chest is a tense thriller, with an exceptional cast. What makes it even better is that it's:
a) British
b) Set in London
c) A cockney gangster film that doesn't feature Danny Dyer

The film is actually about men, their relationships with each other and how they want to be perceived by each other. There's a mix of the old geezer set in his ways (John Hurt), the mother's boy (Tom Wilkinson) and the gay playboy (a scene-stealing Ian McShane - no mean feat with this line up - giving a positive unstereotypical portrayal of a London gay man. The fact he's gay is secondary to the fact he's a hard nut, in a similar vein to McShane's character in Sexy Beast.) At the centre of it all is Ray Winstone, broken by the fact that the wife he adores is cheating on him and deciding whether or not to kill the man she's sleeping with.

The film flits between reality and Winston's head, and the story itself is actually a bit light, but all this falls away when you're confronted with some truly electrifying performances.

You just need to get past the fact that every other word is the C word and you're in for a treat.