Don't listen to the negative reviews

Beautiful, moving film.

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

Being familiar with the February 2005 Vanity Fair true story from Manchester in 2003 by Judy Bachrach and with the opera "Two Boys," adapted from her article, I've eagerly anticipated this movie for quite some time. What a huge disappointment it is.I urge you to read the VF story; it is so much more complex and engrossing. Evidently with the complicity of Ms. Bachrach who co-produced the movie, the story has been scrubbed and sanitized― stripped of its deep, and deeply interesting, teenage psycho-sexual complexity. This is an especial shame given the casting of two top-caliber actors, Jamie Blackley and Toby Regbo who could've made the movie sing.What we're left with in this poor adaptation is simply a clever boy who is so depressed as to desire to kill himself by proxy and an uninteresting, gullible proxy. Sad story, but no barn burner. And this movie could've blazed! The flesh of the true story offers so much, and we're given the mere bones. Five out of ten is being generous, and I give it mainly to the cast. To the screenwriter, the director, and co-producer, I'd give a one of ten. In some misguided attempt to not shock or challenge the general movie audience, they forfeited creating a highly-rewarding film, even a cult classic. I can't wait for Todd Haynes to remake this story!

Mark has been having a relationship with Rachel in an open chat room for quite some time, but Mark delves deeper Rachel's psyche, and he soon becomes introduced to others in the chat room as well. These include Kevin, Rachel's abusive boyfriend, and Janet, who claims to be an MI5 agent. Upon Mark also befriends John, Rachel's brother, and Marks classmate. The two boys start get drawn into various conspiracies within the chat room, which eventually leads to attempted murder.I never read anything about this, and missed the opening credits, so you can understand how much I balked when I read that this was based on a true story. And the fact that this true story came from Vanity Fair of all publications, made me take the whole thing with a huge pinch of salt.Take the 'fact' that this story is supposedly 'true', and you have a solid thriller, with a really clever twist come the final act.To think that one person can impersonate so many people on line, isn't really a huge stretch of the imagination, it's an everyday occurrence if you watch Catfish, but to brainwash an individual into stabbing another, you have to be very cold and calculating, especially if its yourself.The performances are great, and the narrative is wonderful, despite the twisty, turny story.On initial release, I dismissed this movie as being another 'hoodie' movie, thanks to the title and the poster.Don't do the same, it's well worth watching.

STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning ** Sunday Night * Monday MorningA film depicting the apparently true life story of Mark (Jaime Blackley) a popular, charismatic boy at school with an equally popular social life on the internet, who is asked by online friend Rachel (Jaime Winstone) to take her socially awkward brother John (Toby Regbo) under his wing. Mark finds himself explaining this in flashback to DI Clayton (Joanne Froggatt), whilst he has been placed under arrest for John's attempted murder, only to go on and explain the events leading up to this, which unravel an increasingly warped, deranged tale of fantasy and reality becoming horribly blurred.This indeed dramatises events that occurred during 2003 in a suburban area of London. I remember a TV drama from some years ago about something similar that happened in Manchester, or maybe they've just swapped locations. Andrew Douglas, the man behind the Amytiville Horror remake, presents us this story that is a bewildering fact is stranger than fiction case whichever way you look at it, but has more relevance and believability in this day and age, where it sometimes feels like the internet basically controls everything. This in turn makes it all the more chilling, and makes you wonder just what dangers unfettered chat rooms could pose in future.The film benefits from an unknown but solid and dynamic young cast, chiefly Blackley, who bears a striking resemblance to a younger Russell Brand, fitting in his role as the eloquent, dynamic young man, forming an odd double act with Regbo as his needy cohort. It's a small scale effort, and the constraints sometimes show through, but it tells it's baffling story with aplomb and has a solid young cast to carry it through. ***

What drew me to this movie was it looked like it had a weird love story due to the trailer, as well as Joanne Froggat, who you may know as Mrs. Bates from Downton Abbey. Not only that though, but it seemed to have an intriguing villain, a dash of murder and, best of all, it was based on a true story. With that mention, how could you not wanna see what would happen?To begin, the leads for this film are Jamie Blackley as Mark and Toby Regbo as John. Mark is very much a popular jock, football being his specialty, and he seems very friendly. As for John, he is this weird kid who, thanks to a foreign step-father, is ostracized and considered the son of a terrorist. Alongside them is Joanne Froggatt's Inspector Sarah Clayton, who isn't written to make her different from any generic investigator; then there is Janet, played by Liz White, who is a MI5 agent; Jaime Winstone, as Rachel, a girl who plays a love interest to Mark trapped under her abusive boyfriend Kevin, who is played by Mingus Johnston; and that rounds out the main cast.Now, the story for Uwantme2killhim probably benefits the most from the trailer, for reasons I won't mention. Things begin nicely though. We see Mark enjoying the spoils of popularity, including a girl named Zoey (played by Amy Wren) who uses him for sex, despite having a boyfriend. But then, assumingly in the pursuit of a relationship, Mark goes into a chat room and we discover he has a little cyber thing going on with a girl named Rachel. It is so serious that they have cybersex and he masturbates on web-cam, but you don't see her face. Things escalate and Rachel asks the favor of Mark looking out for her brother John, who is a strange little thing, and while Mark does so, Kevin takes over Rachel's avatar and seemingly with that, bye-bye Rachel. From there, we see Mark seem very much affected by the death of a girl he never physically met and this drives him to wanting to kill Kevin, and then MI5 get involved, and the story begins to make you question how many facts were used, and how much is artistic license?Which is sort of the best part about this film. The trailer sort of misleads you, but it doesn't hurt the film by doing so. Instead, it adds onto the overall mystery and as things come together and Inspector Clayton starts piecing together the big mystery, you do feel a bit shocked. Also, you have to admire the performances in the movie for they really do help push things along and, with the writing, you don't feel the need to pause this and go off to do something else for a while, which I often do.But, the negatives of the movie can be something which could be a deal breaker for some. For one, as things get dramatic, the film loses its believability. One example would be: who wouldn't be suspicious of someone never going on camera and all you have is a picture to see them by. I mean, common sense would lead you to believe that it could be some creepy person or kid messing with you. Also, upon them bringing in MI5, you begin to start wondering if the only difference between the NSA in America and MI5 in Britain is that MI5 will tell you when you messed up and will give you a warning. Still though, the amount you are expected believe makes that whole "Based on a True Story" tag seem like a lie.Overall: VOD/RentalThough the suspension of disbelief the film expects may test you a bit, I think it overall makes for a good movie to watch. The performances are good, writing full of trickery, and maybe if you pay attention to the details you'll get it, but then again maybe you won't. Also, with the tag of "Based on a True Story" being on there, it does make you wish you could learn more about the facts, but unfortunately the case is sealed. And yet, the writers got a hold of it... hmmm.