Ashes

Ray Winstone is one of my favourite British actors, and usually brightens up even the most dour of motion pictures. Here though, his role is a very confused one... On the one hand, he's a mentally ill dementia sufferer who sees delusions, and on the other he remembers things from his past, such as stealing cars and killing people. I thought Dustin Hoffman's Rain Man was slightly unconvincing, but this goes right to the heart of Hollywood Illnesses. He's too hysterical and too knowing, so alas, you always know you're watching a performer rather that than a very sick man.

A cross between a road movie and a buddy movie, when the film doesn't focus on Winstone's odd behaviour and hallucinations it tries to build a relationship between him and his erstwhile son. There are touching moments, but a twist late on puts a new slant on things and we wonder just why Winstone's offspring makes some of the decisions he does, and it comes across as poor writing. Ashes is a mediocrity that won't stand out on anyone involved in it's CV, and will probably be yesterday's chip paper very soon after being viewed... 5/10

So Ray Winston is brilliant in his portrayal of a man lost in time, with a tentative grip on reality. This is a dark think piece about relationships, compassion and violence. If you want to see Ray Winston in his usual roles then this isn't for you. He shows real depth and understanding of a horrific condition that leaves someone confused, vulnerable, scared and lost. The journey is incidental and metaphorical, the violence is genuine and not gratuitous. The filming is creative but does not overshadow the story telling.

Best thing I've seen recently.

The lead actress made me want her dead in the first 5 minutes. HORRIBLE ACTRESS, everyone else's acting was bad, but she took the cake. The ONLY good thing about the movie was the grandmother-hilarious, good acting. Such an embarrassing face-palm mess of a movie

Main reason for review is the change of genre for Ray Winstone who usually plays the cockney bad guy with relish to find him playing an Alzheimer's sufferer taken from the typical home on a road trip is surprising but he plays the role superbly, I knew he was good at what he normally played but this role showed his ability far more than previous roles I am happy to praise his performance as someone who years ago cared for these patients he is so realistic in the role I was shocked. It's not a happy film and I would rewrite the ending but stress Ray Winstone's performance is really worth watching, hope he does more work outside of his usual genre.

This is an unusual film that straddles a few genres. It's filmed on a relatively small budget but as so often is the case outperforms films with much higher budget.

Ray Winstone is an interesting and charismatic actor and he does a great job in this as a man suffering from the crippling effects of Alzheimer's. Jim Sturgess provides excellent support as his seemingly concerned son.

The film can get quite confusing as it switches from drama to thriller and back again but this is to be applauded. You never quite know where it is heading and that makes a pleasant change from many predictable films in these genres. There are moments of real emotion and some nice twists of plot.

This is a well directed and acted British film and is highly recommended.