Heist (2008 film)
| Heist | |
|---|---|
| Written by | Peter Harness |
| Directed by | Justin Hardy |
| Starring | Kris Marshall |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| No. of episodes | 1 |
| Production | |
| Producers | Lucy Bassnett-McGuire (line producer) Susan Horth |
| Cinematography | Douglas Hartington |
| Editor | Michael Harrowes |
| Running time | 70 mins |
| Original release | |
| Network | BBC Four |
| Release | 23 April 2008 |
Heist is a one-off 2008 television comedy-drama, written by
medieval England, using several of that genre's conventions (such as the raid being "one last job", and the use of an unintelligent but physically strong figure), and trailed under the same tagline as the 2003 remake of The Italian Job ("Get in, get out, get even"). As per the medieval setting, the film dialogue contains several Middle English and pseudo-Middle English expressions and insults (some of which are translations of modern-English insults or rhyming slang - "mother-swyver" instead of "motherfucker", or "it's all gone a bit church gong" instead of "it's all gone a bit Pete Tong
", for example). Marshall as lead character narrates several parts of the backstory to the audience during the film.
Plot
In 1303, the innkeeper and would-be wool-merchant Dick Puddlecote is arrested and imprisoned in Flanders after traveling there from England to trade wool. Before he could receive the money, he was imprisoned, as punishment for the English monarch Edward I having defaulted on a loan from Flanders.
On his release, Dick returns to England, where he finds Edward has taken over his inn and forced his girlfriend Joanna the Concubine into prostitution. Dick vows revenge on the King for all this and begins to gather his friends to attempt an audacious robbery on the king's treasury beneath Westminster Abbey.
Reception
- CBBC"[2]
- The Telegraph - Its critic called it "an embarrassingly desperate attempt to demonstrate that Hey, Studying the Middle Ages Can Be Fun" and as having "not so much a naturally playful imagination as a teeth-gritted determination to appear wacky at all costs"[3]
- The Independent - Despite "tiny traces of real history [remaining]" and "the odd good joke", its critic also criticised "its wearying dependency on the verb "swiving" " and argued that "even historical impurists may have hankered for a little more hard fact in among the "cack" jokes and the cinematic pranks"[4]
- The Times - Its critic initially found "the mix of period and contemporary-speak .. irritating [and] the jerky camera and laddish bravura ... derivative", but did state that it had "some groovy conceits" and praised the cartoons and James's and Sumpter's performances.[5]
Cast
- Kris Marshall as Dick Puddlecote
- Geraldine James as Joanna
- Donald Sumpter as Edward I
- Michael Dunning as Ramage
- Bennet Warden as Irish Pete
- Paul Hiltonas Warefield
- Linal Haft as Newmarket
- Tim Plester as Will
References
- ^ Wollaston, Sam (24 April 2008). "Last night's TV". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 April 2008.
- ^ McLean, Gareth (23 April 2008). "Watch This". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 April 2008.
- ^ Walton, James (24 April 2008). "Last night on television". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 1 May 2008. Retrieved 24 April 2008.
- ^ Sutcliffe, Thomas (24 April 2008). "Last night's TV". The Independent. Archived from the original on 9 May 2022. Retrieved 24 April 2008.
- ^ Teeman, Tim (24 April 2008). "Last Night's TV". The Times. London. Retrieved 24 April 2008.
External links
- Heist at BBC Online
- Heist at IMDb
- BBC Press Office at BBC Online
