Scotsman John C. Baird, a former producer of the British film “Hooligans” starring Elijah Wood in the lead role, adapted the novel of Scottish postmodern writer Irwin Welch for a movie screen and directed a self-directed crime comedy with a brilliant cast called “Mud” . The film received extremely contradictory reviews; its IMDb rating is 7.10. Rapid in the literal and figurative sense of the film adaptation of "Dirt" (in the original - Filth) preserved the main author's message of the writer - a story about the uncompromising degradation of the personality of the protagonist.
About the "hero" of our time
If the work of the same name by Irwin Welsh about the misadventures of the sociopathic detective from Edinburgh Bruce Robertson, which was published in 1998, was decided to be filmed immediately, then the creators would most likely have turned out to be an exemplary movie of the 90s. It is no coincidence that critics, leaving reviews and reviews for the film "Dirt", pointed to the similarity of the manner of filming and the level of humor with film production of the late 90s.
Indeed, the main character - a cop who abuses alcohol and does not disdain drugs, who does not miss a single individual of the opposite sex, an ardent racist and homophobe - is a standard character in paintings of that time period. Add to all of the above the progressive madness of the hero, expressed in dialogues with the tape parasite living in his intestines, and briskly gaining momentum in the pursuit of the position of inspector paranoia - and here in front of the audience is a real “hero” of our chaotic reality. This is how the main acting character is described in reviews and reviews of the film “Dirt”. Critics of his personality is not so much annoying as intriguing, so experts relish his characteristics in detail.
Beyond the Limits
For those who read the literary source, the film “Dirt” (2013) will be a pleasant pastime, since the film project is much softer than the novel, and it quite accurately follows the author's word of Irwin Welch. The first forty minutes of narration out of 93 minutes of timing the tape can seem extremely tough to the beholder, and at the same time are homerically funny. The authors of the picture purposefully and quite consciously go beyond what is permitted. No wonder the film “Dirt” was called frank by the townsfolk: the director, without languishing the audience, almost from the very beginning saturates the unfolding action with sexual scenes. Therefore, the film project is deservedly awarded the MPAA rating - R.
Great moralist
The young director John S. Baird made his second full-length film (after the debut biopic called “Cass” about the famous British football hooligan) a successful example of black comedy. Although individual filmmakers, writing reviews and reviews of the film "Dirt," position the tape as an evil psychotriller. The creators tried not to miss a single dirty detail, the picture simply splashes with rollicking humor and wild energy, which distinguishes the project from other adaptations of the writer’s works, like Ecstasy and Acid House. Whatever film critics say, but the Scottish director with all his punk mood and a detailed relishing of all sorts of ugliness is a great moralist who fits into the best traditions of classical cinema, the film “Dirt” (2013) is excellent proof of this.
A completely independent work
Taking up the film adaptation, the director, still not wise by experience, according to the experts of the film industry, took some risk. After the release of the film “Dirt,” the reviews received some skepticism. Some authors, contributors, analyzing the plot of the plot, made many comparisons with the work of other, more famous directors, tied to psychological motives. They noted the similarity of “Dirt” to Danny Boyle’s shocking and not losing their topicality, despite the fact that Boyle’s projects are satire of a social nature, and that of John S. Baird is existential.
Also, in many ways, Baird’s picture in its bizarreness is similar to the works of Terry Gilliam, especially in surrealistic episodes with the participation of a crazy psychotherapist performed by the spectacular Jim Broadbent.
In addition to the above, reviewers saw Stanley Kubrick’s inventive touches and shades of psychoanalysis of the unrivaled Hitchcock (personality split) in Baird’s project. Nevertheless, the film “Dirt” does not look like a set of film stamps. Reviews designated the tape as an independent work.
Plot
Edinburgh law enforcement officer, detective, police sergeant Bruce Robertson (actor James McAvoy) is a corrupt man, alcoholic, drug addict, careerist, and sexual pervert. He continually does a lot of large and small dirty tricks aimed at disgracing his colleagues and guaranteeing himself promotion on the career ladder. Robertson believes that as soon as he receives a promotion and the desired position of inspector, his wife will certainly return to him. At that moment, when Chef Bob Toal entrusts him with the case of the murder in the underpass of a student from Japan, Bruce decides that the promotion is already in his pocket. However, at this crucial moment, the detective begins manic-depressive psychosis, accompanied by hallucinations.
Even critics - supporters of extreme Western arthouse, analyzing the film "Dirt", left comments about the main character cautious, calling him too radical a character.
Defective detective
The superficial layer of the story underlying the picture, although full of black humor and caustic satire, is magnificent in itself. But history simply has no bottom. Because it is presented to the viewer as a vile scum, the main character inside is a lonely and wounded soul, an unfortunate person, a patient of a psychotherapist, whose brain is poisoned with drugs and alcohol.
“Dirt” is a film, reviews of which called the central character a fallen angel, which the director unceremoniously anatomizes, organizing the viewer a stunning tour of the dark labyrinths of the hero’s inflamed consciousness. This existential reality expands the vastness of the picture and is so mixed with the reality of the physical that the viewer is simply lost, what is really happening, and what is a hallucination of the character.
Lead actor
The actor James McAvoy in the film is hardly recognizable. In order to transform into the image of Bruce, the performer had to change the usual role of romance to an unpleasant mask with a whole bunch of various diseases.
The Scottish actor is known to a wide audience by the films “Jane Austen”, “The Last Sunday”, “The Chronicles of Narnia”, “Atonement”, “Victor Frankenstein”, “The Last King of Scotland” and by the role of Professor X in the continuation of the epic “X-Men”.
The result of his work in “Mud” is truly impressive, proving that James is a varied and diverse actor. An interesting fact is that in parallel with filming in the project of John S. Baird, the performer was involved in the production of the thriller Trans, which was directed by Danny Boyle. Earlier, the director filmed Welsh's most popular work - the novel "On the Needle."
Acting Ensemble
Imogen Poots, Jamie Bell, Jim Broadbent and, of course, James McAvoy are the perfect cast for a high-quality, sensual, yet calm drama. The film “Dirt”, the actors involved in the production of the picture, do not consider this. There is no peace in him at all. But the cast is brilliant, the company was played by the best professionals. They amazed with their skill and talent for the transformation of Eddie Marsan in the image of a pedant financier with prohibitively thick glasses, the only friend of the protagonist, Shirley Henderson in the role of a tempting wife, an explosive mixture of perversity and innocence (she is also a Spud girl from Trainspotting), and especially Jim Broadbent as a psychotherapist who himself needs help from a psychologist.
Verdict
According to the viewer who watched the film “Dirt,” John C. Baird’s project is a delightful, hallucinogenic tragicomedy, which once again confirms that a mental illness can be an extremely fascinating thing if it did not lead to sad consequences. According to experts, “Dirt” has a bizarre narrative structure: in real-life moments, black comedy predominates, and in hallucinogenic episodes - real drama, moral reading, disgusting and tearful. Therefore, the ending of the picture can be perceived in two ways, and therefore it is so difficult to unambiguously define a stylistic analogue in which the game in different registers would be just as masterly.