Marching Powder

STAR RATING: ***** Brilliant **** Very Good *** Okay ** Poor * Awful

Jack (Danny Dyer) is a middle aged dad of one, whose only outlet remains through organised ruckuses at football matches. After getting caught up in his latest scrap, a judge orders him to get his life back in order to avoid a prison sentence. Over the coming weeks, he attempts to reconcile with his childhood love, Dani (Stephanie Leonidas), secure a construction job with Dani's dodgy dad (Geoff Bell), and reconnect with his son, whose hit double figures. But his connection with the psychotic Kenny Boy (Callum McNab) threatens to derail it all.

"Back in the good old days, when men had a c**k and women had a s**g..." From the off-set, it's clear that the first collaboration between Danny Dyer and director Nick Love in well over a decade, somewhat unsurprisingly, isn't going to concern itself with any sense of political correctness. After all, who are either of them to disappoint their fan base, even in what are surely more sensitive, understanding times? But then, the film is an examination of a man whom time has passed by, and so it's all the more fitting.

The reunion of the directing/starring pair feels framed as a follow up to their signature piece, The Football Factory, despite featuring completely different characters in a completely new setting. In contrast to TFF's flashy, frenetic approach to its characters, Marching Powder portrays an older, more beaten down man, more honestly shown as a desperate loser with little else in his life. The tone uneasily shifts between tongue in cheek humour and heavy, more reflective drama, without the most focused plot to keep you following to the end, but somehow it does.

It's a throwback reunion of old faces of the British crime genre, in front of the camera and behind it, rebelliously non-PC, messy and incoherent, but funny and wild, pleasing to those it's aimed at. ***

I'm probably the demographic that this film is aimed at, middle aged male who loves the match, dressing in good clobber and has enjoyed his fair share of lads nights out and away days.

But... Marching Powder is a deceiving film. The lad culture in the film feels very shoe horned in (because it's a Nick Love film it's got to have that I suppose) it didn't add anything ti the film itself other than to give them a reason to have the main character in court - which they could've done a thousand different ways. Not Dyer or Love's greatest, but maybe that was the point. The character was too old for all that bollocks. It's time to grow up.

Marching Powder: A laugh a minute serious comedy, the serious elements are rather dark. Jack (Danny Dyer) is 45, a cokehead, heavy drinker, still into getting into fights with rival football firms. His mates really lead him astray, so he claims. He is arrested, up before the beak who gives him 6 weeks to clean his act up or it's prison time. Jack still loves his wife Dani and his son but it's hard to stay straight. Especially when his father in law wants him to look after his crazed brother in law who has a habit of attacking and robbing drug dealers. Dani also wants more from life and goes back to Art College. An extremely violent, foulmouthed film, a romcom, a dark comedy, just a comedy anyway at times. The backstory really demands for Jack and Dani to be 35 for it to make sense but even the great Danny Dyer can't pass for 35 without CGI. Still, it's worth watching. Written and Directed by Nick Love. 6.5/10.

Marching Powder starts off strong with a captivating animated opening that effectively sets up its backstory with vibrant visuals and a hint of humor, providing a foundation for the rest of the film.

However, the tone shifts abruptly with a rapid-cut, handheld fight scene that becomes uncomfortable to watch, especially on the big screen. The frantic pacing and shaky camera work is disorientating, pulling you out of the otherwise immersive experience.

Despite what the trailer might suggest, there's much more to this film than meets the eye, and a large part of its emotional depth comes from the character of Dani, the wife. Her story and emotional journey add a layer of nuance to the narrative, making the film more than just a spectacle. Her strength and resilience give the movie a heart that might otherwise be lost amidst the chaotic scenes.

In summary, Marching Powder is an unexpected gem with a unique opening, jarring but necessary fight sequences, and a powerful emotional core thanks to Dani's character. Don't let the trailer fool you-there's a compelling story here beneath the surface.

Powered by copious amounts of lager and cocaine, Marching Powder will do little to quell the stereotyping of middle-aged football hooligans but does admittedly provide the occasional laugh amidst the gratuitous violence and drunken punch-ups. In some regards, it feels like it's harkening back to the early days of Guy Ritchie, however, not even Danny Dyer's boyish charm and undeniable screen presence - when he does manage to recapture the raw intensity that made him a star in the first place - can redeem Director Nick Love's script. Maybe one day I'll actually bring myself to watch his remake of The Sweeney if only for the car chase the Top Gear lads directed. For all the foul-mouthed aggro, the predominant tone is one of mollycoddled smugness, aiming to shock by reviving taboo language and jokes about sitting on Gary Glitter's lap, it's more toothless than dangerous but I can't deny I still had a degree of fun watching Marching Powder. It's awful, don't get me wrong, but in that oh-so-special way that makes it endearingly crap than outright crap but maybe Danny Dyer should stick to popping up on Celebrity Gogglebox now and then.