The Penalty King [2006]

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Customer reviews

review by: date: 2007-03-14 rating:
Football from the dark side
I was fortunate enough to see this movie at a `Premier' in the writer/directors home town of Brighton. Whilst I have to say that the home town ambience added to the occasion, the viewing experience was often an uncomfortable one and not quite what I had expected from a football-comedy-drama. What is evident is that said writer/ director Chris Cook has a real talent. For a movie made on such a low budget and with a procession of technical operators, his ability to maintain a consistent atmosphere and tempo is a tribute to a skill honed on more modest offerings, but showcased brilliantly here in his first feature. This epic project took some 8 years to reach fruition, and his desire to complete it is clearly due to his obvious love for both Sunday football and Leeds United FC. It probably doesn't pay to wonder quite what drives Cooks mind as the darker corners of this movie are really unsavoury places to be. After all, a film about a blind Sunday league footballer who works in a social services disabled equipment loan store and supports Leeds United is not that grim a premise (is it?). But don't buy this movie expecting a Bend it Like Beckham or One Jimmy Grimble, or you will be in for quite a shock.

Cook elicits consistent performances from a cast of principally unknown, and in some cases never-to-be-seen-again actors, sprinkled with a few `names' and familiar faces from TV and film. A feisty Claire Grogan brings added cache to the piece as the overtly dominant boss of the loan store, the only down side being the inevitable references to her previous work, and trust me this is no Gregory's Girl. But to be fair any contrived comparison to one of the best football comedies ever made is none the less flattering.

If I have to be critical of the film, the script often lacked direction and the sub-plots were inconclusive and at times superfluous. For a comedy film it lacked humour and often lazily reverted to cliché and profanity, but some of the set pieces were laugh-out-loud funny which was consolation indeed. Again on the plus side the soundtrack was fantastic and really kept things going when the pace looked like flagging. It's well known that Tarantino selects his soundtrack before the first line of the script gets written and this could have been the case here, so strong and relevant was the music choice. Also the lighting, editing and camerawork particularly in the `darker' scenes belied the low budget and again demonstrate Chris Cook's skills as a movie maker. I hope the film gains cult status and allows us to see Cook behind a camera again sometime soon, I will wager that he ventures into horror in the near future, which with his record may be some ten years away, but if that's how long it takes I will be first in line to watch, I am already a fan.

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review by: tweak date: 2007-03-13 rating:
A true cult football classic and an adventure for every true football fan (esp Leeds United fans).,
As an avid football fan and Leeds United fan, I came across this film after appearing as an extra and enjoying the day filming at Elland Road and have been excited ever since the day's filming to see this film come to life.

One of the first things I noticed from the shoot was of the director's passion, motivation and energy for this film and the opportunity to be able express his life and his everyday stories of life being a Leeds United fan. My excitement was met with joy when I finally saw the film at a private screening at Elland Road.

The film is lovely story of a guy, a guy like many of us whose life revolves around a 9 to 5 job, a love for his wife and a love for 'the beautiful game' of football. Lee is unfortunately blind, and he still misses and dreams of the time he kicked around a ball for his local pub team and the love of Leeds United and "the wee ginger man" - Billy Bremner. Lee just wants to play football, and in tricky situations turns to his friend Billy Bremner to find answers to many of life's everyday questions.

This is not a film just for Leeds United fans, of course it is great to see Leeds United on the big screen and recollections of some great clips of Leeds in action and the stadium, but the story is really gripping and you can really feel the pain that Lee is under in his life, to just to be able to kick a ball around a car park or a football pitch.

I loved the film and look forward to seeing it in a big screen in the not too distant future. This is not just another football fan, it is an adventure through somebody's life who is full of passion, and to see how a guy can overcome his loss of sight and to be able to enjoy 'the beautiful game.'




review by: date: 2007-02-24 rating:
Great fun
It's not really a film meant to be taken seriously, but it has some classic moments and is a joy to watch. The acting is great all round, particularly from Patrick McWhatever, who I reckon is on his way up judging from this performance. All the blurb tells you that this is an ultra-low budget film, but it is ambitious and very well put together, with plenty of polish and a very very good soundtrack. The story of a blind man playing pub football is exploited well and it chuggs along nicely. While a couple of the sub-plots fail to ignite the screen, it is a film that should be celebrated as it was made against the odds for no money in the UK, which is a pretty tall order thse days.

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