Filth (2014)

Don't Believe the Hype

As somebody who had not heard any of this before, it became a curious phenomenon to sit and watch a film and slowly have the realities begin to click into place.

The acting in this movie is really good.

This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

No movie has been so unsettling for me. I don't know how I feel about this movie. I love it very very much. And at the same time, I equally hate it. The idea put behind this movie is good. You want to tell the story about a character, it's okay. Bruce Robertson is a very well written character and his story and whatever he does is compelling. We get a very good exposition of what he appears to be, what he actually is and what made him what he is and all of those back stories. You can see his love, you can definitely see his envy and anger, his desperation, etc. Whatever the character does is very well justified. And that's basically the main part of the storyline. Also, James McAvoy as Bruce Robertson - one of his greatest performances ever. He gives a life to the character ..... literally. This type of character isn't a new one, but I haven't seen such a character given so much of complexity and depth. As a dark psychological thriller-ish drama, the movie is good. But at the same time, it is filthy. As I said, the filthy parts justify the character and the story itself. But those parts, within themselves, feel very uncomfortable. Also, some of such scenes are quite unnecessarily elaborated. It focuses (sometimes) unnecessarily on nudity. Some of the short filthy clips could've been deleted. But again, if we choose to tell the story otherwise, will it work so well? I don't think so. There are a number of people who love this movie, for the similar reasons why I loved it. And a number of people hate it, due to it's filthiness. I don't really like the filthiness, but I love the overall story and appreciate that it has been told in the best way imaginable, in my opinion. So, I don't know how I feel about this. For the time being, I will give it a "B" and a "6.5/10". If I was supposed to say liked it, I would definitely give it an "A" and an "8.8/10" and if I was supposed to hate it, a "D" and a "3.9/10", probably. I watched it around three times or so. If I ever watch it again, I might be a little more sure.

I came late to this and saw it when it was on Film 4. I was recently amazed by James McAvoy's performance in 'Split' and already adored him as a young Professor X.Seriously, if you haven't seen 'Split', you really should.'Filth' is not for the faint hearted, and is prime fodder for 'Outraged of Halifax' in the Daily Mail comments section.It's a fun ride, like a manic episode can be (I have bipolar and some things felt far too familiar) but then things become tragic, as the depressive phase tends to be. I'm still a little bit miffed about the slightly OTT portrayal of bipolar disorder - it's not a totally accurate account of the illness (hence 9 stars, not 10) - but it's nice to see someone at least try to explore it.The denouement had me sobbing like a 'little bitch with a skinned knee', to quote Jay from 'Dogma' (also a wonderful film you should watch immediately) and the very end was when I really started blubbing.As a Scot and a bipolar type 1, this felt a little too close to home and that's why I adore it. I'm going to be re-watching this as much as I re watch 'Evil Dead 2' and 'Titanic' - yes, I love 'Titanic'. What of it?

McAvoy one of the best for me! His roles as being psychopath are quietly brilliant! Just observe his mimics, his emotions, his intonation and stuff. It is the most difficult to be a "bad-boy", or "a mad one", as far as I am concerned. I've seen it many times, and every time there appears to be smth that I missed. That's the stuff I like the most about movies. And, obviously, that's why I prefer some philosophical ones to see, because every time you see, you have different interpretation in your head, and you notice more details, get more jokes and stuff. If you have enough time, I DO advice you such types of movies. they are aaawesome!

A man's descent into a drink and drug induced madness and paranoia. Not comfortable viewing and surreal at times. Ironically, the outtakes are some of the scenes that really ought to have been left in, because they are the most touching. A decent adaptation of a truly great book, but as with any adaptation of one of Welsh's novels, it has it's limitations. Each character is played convincingly, a little too convincingly sometimes, but it all comes to bear. The question remains: can a police officer, who is so ravaged by the constant hangovers and come-downs of booze and pills, really find it within himself to apprehend the murderer of a foreign student when the world around him - both physically and mentally - is falling apart?