Lucky Break

Peter Cattaneo formerly directed The Full Monty and with Lucky Break he again maintains the theme of a group of men down on their luck. This time, though, our heroes are prisoners who have suffered from some bad luck – getting caught. The main trait of director Cattaneo is the humour and again this is the driving force here, perhaps more so than in The Full Monty.

Kiss me Hardy!

Jimmy Hands (James Cold Feet Nesbitt and Rudy Guscott (Lennie Snatch James) are friends who have had a terrible run of luck. This is proved when they bungle a bank robbery and find themselves in prison. Rudy is not happy with Jimmy having left him locked in the bank, but they soon become pally again after Jimmy seeks out Rudy’s advice for an escape plan. They get some help from other inmates, Jimmy’s cellmate Cliff (Timothy Gettin’ Square Spall), Roger and Darren, all brought in for help.

To execute the escape plan, they need access to the old chapel on the prison grounds. To gain this access Jimmy comes up with the idea of putting on a musical written by the warden Graham Mortimer (Christopher Sound of Music Plummer). The play is about the English hero Nelson and prison support unit officer Annabel Sweep (Olivia Sixth Sense, A Knights Tale Williams) is also recruited to play the only female role.

Sir, apparantly the hills are alive with the sound of music!

Prison guard Perry (Ron Cook) is your typical nasty piece of work guard, giving Cliff a hard time and constantly putting Jimmy in solitary for misdemeanours. He knows they are up to something, but is struggling to find the proof. Jimmy and Rudy have constantly had bad luck throughout their criminal lives, so will their plan work this time?

This is an enjoyable film that I personally enjoyed more than The Full Monty. James Nesbitt is a very likeable actor and is surrounded by a well suited supporting cast. The storyline at times comes across as predictable and something you have seen before, but stick with it as there are a few surprises along the way. The acting is very good and the script is also impressive. If you like British comedy/drama then definitely give this a look as most will find it to be an enjoyable, lighthearted film.

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1 and 16:9 enhanced, this transfer looks wonderful. The majority of footage consists of scenes within the prison, dark exterior or night time shots and these are all captured beautifully. Colours are natural, detail is spot on and there are no problems with aliasing or grain. The only blemish I could spot with this transfer was the odd film artefact in the form of white flecks. These are not too distracting though. Overall, this is close to reference quality.

What you talking 'bout Willis!

Subtitles are supplied in English for the Hearing Impaired and these are remarkably accurate to the spoken word and actions on screen. I am still not quite sure what “Jaunty Music� is though, it sounded like reggae to me. The layer change occurs at 68:23 and is barely noticeable as it's placed during a scene where the lead character is motionless.

For a film of this nature I was expecting a basic Dolby Digital stereo mix, but not only do we get a very nice DD 5.1 surround mix but also a DTS 5.1 mix - talk about a pleasant surprise! The DD 5.1 track is a terrific mix and is great on its own, however the DTS track is even better. Sound clarity is superb on this full bodied track. Surround use is extensive, be it from creating ambience via the music or through some subtle and obvious directional effects. Speaking of music, the accompanying music used in this film is very well suited. The subwoofer only gets minor use in this dialogue driven film and synch is never a problem. Some accents are difficult to understand but, thanks to the clear audio mix, this is rarely an issue. Overall, this is close to reference quality and puts many current releases to shame.

There are no extras at all, not even a theatrical trailer.

This is a nice lighthearted comedy in the same genre as The Full Monty and those who enjoyed that film should enjoy this one. The video and audio are both close to reference quality, but this is completely devoid of any extras. Still, this is definitely worth at least renting as it is a film that reeks of quality.