The Great Ecstasy of Robert Carmichael (2005)
Genre: Drama / Crime
Duration: 96 minuten
Country:
United Kingdom
Directed by: Thomas Clay
Stars: Ryan Winsley and Daniel Spencer
IMDb score:
4,9 (1.477)
Releasedate: 14 August 2005
This movie is not available on US streaming services.
The Great Ecstasy of Robert Carmichael plot
Robert Carmichael is an intelligent student and gifted cellist who nevertheless skips school and starts experimenting with drugs. Together with a couple of wrong friends he ends up in a hopeless spiral of violence...
Actors and actresses
Sarah
Larry Haydn
Monica Abbott
PC Gibbons
John Kramer
Jonathan Abbott
Stuart Reeves
Joe
Reviews & comments
leatherhead
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- 3556 messages
- 1813 votes
Ugh, what a nasty movie actually. I think I’ve seen pretty much the worst of the worst, but I still found this one quite intense. I went into the movie without too many expectations, too; maybe that had something to do with it.
The link to a film like Irréversible (which is better, in my opinion) is indeed easily made. This film may be a bit more subtle, but that certainly doesn't make it any less brutal. The break-in at the end is obviously crude and ruthless, but I actually found that scene with the girl even more intense, especially because the suggestion there is much more sickening, and those happy hardcore tunes create an extra morbid effect. It made me quite uneasy, and that doesn't happen to me easily.
Audiovisually, it is all fine. Extended shots, often filmed from a distance, which at times created a rather chilly atmosphere. The soundtrack is also very distinctive, but effective. Partly through this, the scenes in the opening phase of the film take on a very ominous air. You can actually sense that something terrible is about to happen, and Clay reinforces that feeling in an efficient way.
One of the films I can rightfully call quite shocking. Hard, uncompromising, but also very impressive, and moreover, skillfully made. I actually wanted to give it 4.5 stars, were it not that I, too, found those far-fetched war scenes rather out of place. So, a solid 4.0 for this one.
Translated from Dutch · View original
Onderhond
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- 87636 messages
- 12920 votes
Remains quite strong.
Social drama isn't really my genre. The UK certainly isn't averse to it, and this film fits reasonably well within that tradition, but with a few touches that make it quite a bit more appealing to me. I am familiar with stories about youth lacking many prospects; for me, it's more about the form.
The camerawork is slightly tighter, the soundtrack more striking, and the film itself, above all, a bit more vicious. These elements all come together in two scenes that manage to grab attention; in between, however, it unfortunately remains just a little too weak.
But those scenes really do make an impression and keep the film sharp. And so, even on rewatching, this film managed to convince me once again. It will never be my favorite genre, but provided the right choices are made, it can still produce strong films.
4.0* and an extensive review
Translated from Dutch · View original
Woland
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- 4824 messages
- 3852 votes
Well, I'm not really convinced by this film. The Great Ecstasy of Robert Carmichael is very British, a social drama about wayward teenagers in an English coastal town. Robert Carmichael starts out as a decent boy, but due to drugs and the wrong friends he goes down the wrong path, but I didn't really believe it all. I found it felt rather simplistic, mainly because Robert's storyline doesn't convince me, and the whole film also exudes a rather exaggerated, exploitative atmosphere. Especially the final scene, of course, where an explicit brutal rape and murder takes place, but also a rather British disdain for the lower class – "see, those street kids are all murderers and rapists if you just give them a chance". In terms of setting and visuals, it does create a grim atmosphere, but in terms of plot and characters, it falls short as far as I'm concerned.
Translated from Dutch · View original
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