Plot

An aging and washed up actor is asked to go back to the the Isle of Man to speak to suspected serial killer The Kestrel, he will only speak to Richard Thorncroft, star of TV detective show Mindhorn. But all is not as it first seems...

Cast

Mindhorn is played by the ever excellent Julian Barrat, one half of the comedy duo that make up the Mighty Boosh, for those who havent just go and watch it,

It also stars Steve Coogan, Simon Callow, Russell Tovey, Essie Davis and Kenneth Branagh. Its not short on talent.

Review

I wanted to love this film, it stars one of my favourite comedy actors, Julian Barratt, and it does start strongly, the jokes come thick and fast, wigs, corsets, bad adverts, a rock solid belief in a mediocre actors own small abilities. However i think it suffers towards the middle and end of the film with a lack of budget and a paucity of ideas to drive the plot forward, jokes that might work in a 30 minute episode are used to string out what could have been a great ending, a near three minute skit about an overweight middle ages man dodging bullets via Capoeira is funny for a bit but stops when its obvious that its a ploy to fill more running time.

Also they don't seem to be able to make their mind up if the main actor is a tragicomic figure or an arse, should we laugh with him or at him, and when we see him continually slapped down and humiliated it stops feeling fun and feels just a tad nasty, its a comedy after all.

He does seem to undergo a bit of redemption, but 15 minutes from the end the film it undergoes a strange tonal shit from slightly surreal comedy to something a bit darker and then back to surreal comedy, it starts to feel like a mash up of ideas that could have worked if they had been developed a bit more.

Verdict

As with most film these days its a case of it could have worked, and should have worked but some lazy writing, gags that fall flat, shifts in tone and an ending that looks like it was rushed through means its yet another missed chance to make something great.