Blue Iguana 2018

Ten minutes into the running time and it is obvious we are in Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch, territory here so you must temper your expectations to this. We are transported to the version of London that the not very ‘all right mate’ Guy Ritchie imagines criminals inhabit. Anyone with half a brain knows, in reality, these types are nasty, selfish and usually very unpleasant, but that is not the purpose of the film. The McGuffin of this tale is a heist, a simple heist really, with the usual cinematic ideas of crosses, double-crosses, the very nasty boss, and the uncontrollable psychopath, guns, lots of guns, swearing and shouting. Really, nothing you have not seen before. Along with some rather large plot holes and rather unlikely events you could have a below-average gun-socky crime thriller.

What hauls this way about average is the actors and the acting. I knew nothing about Blue Iguana prior to viewing but I know it had Sam Rockwell in a leading role and so it would be worth anyone’s two hours. I was right. Sam Rockwell is his usual dependable, likable and quite frankly shining self, but even his acting muscles cannot always save a film. What really hauls this out of the gloop is the lesser-known supporting actors. They really are very good.

As annoying, comedy sidekicks go, Ben Schwartz, so memorable in Parks and Recreation, nails this particular character spot on. A role that could easily be downright annoying is made somehow charismatic despite his ways due to the acting skills of Schwartz. Likewise, Phoebe Fox steps into the ring with Rockwell and goes round for round with him. In the wrong hands this could have been an awful cardboard cut-out character, but she fully fleshes out Katherine from beginning to end, quirky, brighter and more confident than any male character, but still frightened and vulnerable, she is terrific.

Al Weaver as the London colleague of our US heroes is equally as good as Tommy, gay but never defining part of his character, he is engaging and fun throughout, again a great showing in what could easily be a bland sidekick role. I wonder if I was the only person confusing him with Blake Harrison from the Inbetweeners, nevertheless he was impressive. Alongside him is Robert Hellier as the desperate-to-be-acting wheelman Cornelius. The whole assembly is clearly greater than the sum of its parts.

With Peter Polycarpou, Peter Ferdinando and Amanda Donohue are our main villains, over-the-top evil, nastily cartoonish and foul-mouthed they are exactly what is needed for an over-the-top and cartoonish heist.

Blue Iguana is clearly not without a few flaws, for instance, there have been many films with the same plot, same twists, turns and the same characters. We are treated to the oldest and most tired conceit in drama, the bookish, glasses-wearing, hair-tied back female, who suddenly doesn’t wear her glasses and lets her hair down and she’s ‘beautiful’ – I mean she was before, but we were not meant to notice that. Come on it’s the 21st century! Plus, you made me use an exclamation mark.

The makers saved themselves because Fox’s Katherine, despite the appearance, is resourceful, intelligent and brighter than any male character in the film and it is her work that wins the day for all involved – another obvious nod to ‘Film Making 101’ she has to have a romance with Rockwell’s character at the end which is so boring it is almost interesting nowadays.

These are detractions there is no doubt, the overall lack of imagination with the plot and set pieces also are very big minuses, as with the nastiness of some scenes and characters but then the much-admired Guy Ritchie output is full of death and murder that appears to have no effect on any character in his films. So, what is the difference?

The whole feel of the film is very claustrophobically London, with has set pieces in pubs and the Natural History Museum well filmed with kinetically exciting action.

Blue Iguana is a live-action cartoon and it pays to be prepared for this style of film. Everything is definitely a bit larger than life, violence with no real consequences and often nonsensical, the acting is fun and the chemistry between the leads shows.

Overall, the film is a ‘3’ but is an 8 due to the actors.

If you hate Snatch and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels you will dislike this film. This is the best measure of how it will appeal to you I can give but I will say Sam Rockwell is in it.