Greenfingers

There is some truth to the idea that life itself writes the best scripts. But why is it that British creators almost always have to choose a path that leads over a road paved with large chunks of sentimentality? Or perhaps someone will want to claim that life itself can create such simple characters for protagonists whose behavior is predictable for long moments in advance, or a series of situations that often venture into absurdity. Fortunately, there is a good group of actors led by the alarmingly charismatic Clive Owen, whom the audience will trust no matter what. There is also a considerable dose of that sentiment, which, surprisingly, is quite enjoyable to watch. The entire film is topped off with an absolutely original atmosphere of a prison yard full of blooming flowers, which takes your breath away pleasantly, and the whole hour and a half passes in a pleasant spirit and pace. So much so that you won't even remember that this film is very diplomatic in its advocacy of even the worst criminals, about whom everyone in real life probably has a rather dubious opinion, whatever their past. (10/08/2005)