Outlaw on Netflix

Tonight, I watched the British film Outlaw. It was a vigilante film done British style, with loads of troubled personalities forming together into a vigilante group, at times goading each other on and at times holding each other back. Factious, disturbed, indecisive, and angry, the vigilantes worked on the people who had been most directly responsible for the troubles of each member of the team.

The film features a troubled (as if he plays any other sort) Para played by Sean Bean, an interesting police detective relegated to VIP protection played by Bob Hoskins, and a number of other fairly interesting British actors I don't really recall ever having seen before, although I suspect they may be known names across the big pond.

The film examined the sorts of issue vigilante films often do. It explored the question of what circumstances might justify the vigilante, what failures and corruptions of the system justify going beyond the law, whether normal men can become vigilantes without becoming something over the line and monstrous, and what is it like to live in a prevasive surveillance society where key members of the police are bought off by the bad guys and where right doesn't always even get a fair airing, let alone a win.

It was an okay film. I would probably give it about a 3.7 or 3.8 out of 5. I enjoy watching Sean Bean work and the characters were interesting. The ending was both uplifting and tragic in roughly equal measure. But the road to getting there was a fun ride.

Aside:

I wish I could queue or bookmark things on Canadian Netflix. I've had to do this manually with Ye Olde Text File. My list is now about 30 movies and 4 or 5 multi-season TV series long. A lot of stuff I'd never see on TV - docs, foreign films, oddball low budget stuff, Japanese anime I won't buy without having a good idea if I'll enjoy it, and a variety of old classics that I have (and have not) seen.

I can already see keeping my subscription going beyond my free month. They've already sold me on their value proposition.