The Baker

"The Baker", or The "Assassin in Love" as it is called in the U.S., is an awesomely delightful and twisted black dramedy from the UK. No one does these better than they. Most of this movie is shot in the lovely and surprisingly sunny Welsh countryside which keeps the tone light and upbeat. And, this is the paradox - a light/black comedy/drama presented as easily as two happy children skipping down the sidewalk.

Italia provides the cadence through the joyful 'que sera' of songs like "Volare" sung by the cast (miss you DeanO), "Jump the Line" crooned by Belefonte, and the "Gopher Mambo". The rhythm and pace of the whole package simply envelopes the watcher.

I love Damien Lewis, but the entire cast was a joyous surprise. When all was done, I was reminded (in a tiny, wee twisty sort of way) of the movie "Chocolat". Gareth Lewis, brother of Damien, wrote and directed this sublime piece of pleasure and if you can't enjoy it, you probably don't have a sense of humor. ;^) 10/28/2010

This is a film which is very easy to like, possibly because the rather dark subject matter is presented in such a cartoonish way. In fact, after watching it I was surprised NOT to see Nick Park's name anywhere in the creative process. It had all his commonly-used attributes, surreal plot, quirky, cartoon-like characters and a strong sense of wry mischief. All the characters except for the key players are ridiculous, one-dimensional figures with almost no back-story. They are there only to be amusing or to be shot. Or both. The whole thing is a real treat and it doesn't out-stay its welcome. Great music too!

I want to make a stand for The British Who Enjoyed This Film. We've watched this a few times with others and everybody has been in stitches, and are spreading the word.

The comic timing and perfect delivery of the dialogue is superb, its simplicity and cadence brilliant (but obviously lost on some who found it 'wooden'), enhanced by a set of very comic characters. It's refreshing to see actors from a wider pool employed instead of the same-old same-old hi-popularity niche.

The choreography fits the music like a glove - one of the best sex scenes ever. :-) Don't get put off by the nay-sayers - they'd probably not enjoy street theatre either.

Assassin Milo (Damian Lewis) is having second thoughts about his latest target when rival Bjorn (Nikolaj Coaster-Waldau) takes the shot. Their organization assigns his termination to Bjorn. Milo escapes into the Welsh countryside to property owned by his mentor Leo (Michael Gambon). He's burying his gun case when he is hit by an exploding sheep head. After cared for by Rhiannon (Kate Ashfield), he is mistaken for a baker taking on the alias Milo Shakespeare. Eggs is a local youth who blew up the sheep and stolen his guns. Soon, rumors of Milo as a hired assassin spread and some people actually have jobs for him.

The town folks are dark and wacky but not necessarily funny. They are not that appealing. This is a dark comedy which needs more comedy. Damian Lewis has great dead-pan mannerisms. He's able to inject some quirkiness but he needs a comedic partner. This has potential for something outrageously funny but it never really gets there.

I finally got to see this movie after trying to track it down for years. My problem was I searched on the film's UK name ("The Baker") and only just learned it was renamed for its US release. A quick search found that Amazon had it for rent, so I downloaded it for a plane ride home.

OK, maybe I had higher expectations after waiting all that time but I can only say this was a good movie and not a great one. It has several "issues" that I won't elaborate on as I still think it's worth watching.

The characters are interesting and the plot moves along, plus it had a lot of moments that made me smile but I will admit I never really laughed outright. It's that kind of film, enjoyable especially for Damian Lewis fans (I've always liked him since "Band of Brothers"). Kate Ashfiel does a good job, it took a little while to recognize her as Liz from "Shaun of the Dead" (she looks better with her short brunette hair) and Steve Speirs is great as Bryn. Several others put in outstanding performances that make it worth watching.

So, while not a "10," it's definitely a strong "8" and worth the time if you like movies of this genre.