Search - Nil by Mouth on DVD

Powerful.

scott belba | Auburn Mass | 03/29/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I first heard about this film on Siskel&Ebert and I wanted to see it. My brother found it in a small video store and rented it for me. This may very well be one of the most dark, depressing,and brilliant films I have ever seen.
It's directed by Gary Oldman (known for his acting, or overacting, in Dracula, The Professional etc,) and he proves to be a great director. The movie is about a family with Ray Winstone as Ray, the father/husband of the household and Kathy Burke as Valerie. Ray is a working class lout who abuses both drugs and his wife. His son Billy (played by Charlie Creed-Miles) is a herion addict on the streets after his father nearly bites his nose off for stealing his smack. Ray is at times both scary and pittiful, mean and sad, nasty and pathetic. He intertwines these roles so well that at time's you can't tell where he is coming from, or what he'll do next. Valerie is just a simple wife who is just trying to keep her head down so she doesn't get it taken off. However even she is not imune to Ray's violent temper over nothing. In one very vicious scene she is attacked by Ray and although the beating take's place off-camera it still sends chills.
I must warn anyone who wants to watch this movie the it contains more bad language that any I have ever seen (like Pulp Fiction, Scarface, or even South Park) but the profanity only hightens the dread at times. It also looks at life in a very dark way. This is not a happy movie by any means and Oldman has produced a real masterpiece. This has great acting and real good timing between the actors. This is quite simply one of the best movies I have ever seen."

Powerfull, Original and Realistic.

scott belba | 04/15/1999

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I am one of those people who rates a film on how much I think about it AFTER I have seen it. This film has stuck with me for the better part of two weeks and is easily one of the most original, realistic and powerful movies I have seen in a long time.Unfolding more as a docu-drama than a traditional story, this movie brings you into the lives of a South London family plauged by a multi-generational cycle of poverty, abuse and addiction. What separated "Nil By Mouth" from so many other movies about poverty and abuse is that rather than sanitizing it with obvious villians and heros, the characters all contain elements of both. As a contrast, we are also shown their friends, some of whom are worse off and others who have managed to find rewards and happiness in their lives.Another factor which makes this film so captivating is that the actors truly inhabit their roles and show range and depth that you see from real people but not often enough in a movie.Addressing the issue of violence in the film, I commend the entire cast and crew for not playing to the obvious shock factor or galmorizing it, but rather showing violence in all of its cold, random reality.Finally, like all of the other reviewers, I would like to ask where's the Soundtrack?!? The music for this film is fantastic! If any Label Personnel read this, please consider releasing/licensing the music... there is a market for it and it's too good to leave on video."

Nil By Mouth soundtrack has not been released - however.....

A I McIntosh | Dublin | 04/02/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"here's a list of the music used in the soundtrack of "Nil By Mouth." An actual album was never released in conjunction with the film but some of the non-original pieces are available elsewhere. Firstly - ERIC CLAPTON composed the original score for the film - I'm not sure if the music has featured on any of Clapton's recent releases. An unsigned artist (to my knowledge) by the name of FRANCES ASHMAN also has original tracks featured: namely "PECULIAR GROOVE" and "PANDORA" plus her version of Cole Porter's "MY HEART BELONGS TO DADDY." Most of the other music should be obtainable: "LAS VEGAS" - TONY CHRISTIE - MCA RECORDS "WEAKLING" - CRAZY TAD - ELEKTRA RECORDS / WEA "WHAT DO YOU WANT" - ADAM FAITH - EMI UK "BEI MIR BIST DU SCHON (MEANS THAT YOU'RE GRAND)" - ANDREWS SISTERS - MCA RECORDS "LITTLE SHEILA" - NLH with Spikey T & Saunders - don't know whether this is available. Finally, the version of "CAN'T HELP LOVIN' DAT MAN" mimed by Edna Dore (Kath) towards the end of the film is actually sung by Gary Oldman's mum Kathleen (song is by Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II.)"

Can't Help Lovin' That Man...

Hansol Lee | 07/05/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

""Nil by Mouth" is a movie that takes its sweet time to get going. In the beginning, it's filled with too many characters and dialogues that don't seem very relevant. But once it gets going... Boy, does it ever get going. It's a brutally honest and disturbing look at domestic violence, drug abuse and poverty, and while it's very difficult to watch at times, it's also extremely gripping. The two leads, Kathy Burke and Ray Winstone, are absolutely phenomenal in portraying characters that are much more complex than just a victim and an abuser (the exchange between the apologetic Ray and angry Val after Ray had beaten up Val for the umpteenth time, and Ray's monologue about his own abusive father, are two of the most memorable and powerful movie moments in recent memory), and the supporting cast (including Gary Oldman's sister Laila Morse in her debut) is superb as well. I think the movie's subplot about Billy the junkie ("Trainspotting" without the humor, if you will) gets perhaps a little over developed though. It is integral to the main story line, but it becomes too distracting at times. Gary Oldman does a tremendous job in his directorial debut. The script seems very authentic, probably because most of the characters and the events in the movie are taken from his own experiences, and his cinema vérité style (minus the shaky camera, thank God) suits the grittiness and honesty of the film extremely well. The music is also excellent throughout. I know I'll never listen to "Can't Help Lovin' That Man" the same way ever again, that's for sure."