As Good As It Gets

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

Traders (2015): Harry Fox (Killian Scott) and Vernon Stynes (John Bradley) are left penniless when their company goes under in the economic crash. Harry takes work as a minimum wage data-entry clerk, Vernon returns home to mum to work on a business plan. A colleague who can't take the stress drives his car into a tree so that his family will get the insurance money.Vernon comes up with the idea of Trading: you fight to the death with each participant putting up an equal stake. You double your money each time and bury the body of your opponent, each having taken turns digging the grave beforehand. Literally survival of the fittest. Harry excels and racks up the kills and accumulates capital. Ken (Barry Keoghan), an eighteen year old combatant complicates the story as criminals attempt to move in on the business. Orla (Nika McGuigan) is Vernon's neighbour and unrequited love interest but now Harry gets involved. But nothing is ever quite straightforward in this quirky Irish thriller which is veined with very dark humour.A macabre take on the aftermath of the Crash in Ireland, never before has Dublin looked so desolate nor have so many bleak burial sites been located. I a particular irony, abandoned building sites are the arenas for many of the combats and also supply the grave sites. Good acting all round particularly from Scott, Bradley and Keoghan. Co- Directed and written by Rachael Moriarty and Peter Murphy this sharp thriller was under-appreciated on it's release. 8/10

This is a total guy movie. I can see this movie being a cult favorite. I never heard of it. I watch it. And the story is so unusual and compelling. Some may compare this to Fight Club, but I don't think so. This is so much better. The only problem is they should have let him kill the girl. Equality and all. I can see this having a Traders II. Just watch it. And go beyond the first five minutes. I almost didn't. I'm glad I watched the whole thing.

I was brought to this via following John Bradly (GoT), who does a sterling job here.Really good solid film without all the self-congratulatory nonsense that fills Hollywood movies but still with high production values. Despite the unlikely premise that runs throughout, it is shot with a bleak but engaging realism. The characters are developed and yet refreshingly, we don't have to suffer too much relationship nonsense.The plot is pretty straight forward and while some might say it was a bit thin, I was content to just let it flow to its conclusion. I was initially skeptical about the main premise being a viable concept (even within a film) but the small scale of how it started actually won me round.

from the technical or artistic angle by no mean it is amazing. there's nothing remarkable, no treat for the senses.however the subject is disturbing making the film interesting enough & leaving an impression on the mind (mine at least).it's a dive in the world of losers with no hero in it but a wide bunch of losers accepting their condition & running to their death (one way or another).what is missing beside that psycho-sociological study (through the Vernon character mainly but not only) is a spiritual/philosophical angle to make it truly deep & multi-layered with more subtle character development, better narration & dialogues (i would have liked to see/hear poetry or sarcasm or irony or real funny quotes -they tried but they fail IMO like at the co-worker funeral... something more).in other words, what is missing is a Stanley Kubrick or a Shane Carruth (re-)writing it & directing it.conclusion : worth watching but shame it's not the masterpiece it could well have been with more work & perfectionism in the writing & directing.the generous 7 is because it does leave this lasting impression (unlike 99% of Hollywood productions forgotten 10 minutes after it's over)