Mr Nice [DVD]

Mr Nice is a biopic of the life of convicted-drug smuggler Howard Marks (played by Rhys Ifans - Notting Hill). The film chronicles his origins, education, love-life and, most importantly, how he fell into the life of an importer of illicit substances.

Rhys Ifans was practically born to play this role, the height, the accent and mannerisms are all spot on to Howard Marks (a welshman himself) and many times behind the dark glasses and long hair it's difficult to tell the actor from the man. The story is well directed, giving us enough of Mark's back story to understand his mindset and the choices he makes without getting bogged down in the minute detail. This is a truly picturesque cinematic experience, as we see Howard travel from his hometown in Wales, to his College in Oxford and as far around the world as Afghanistan to source his merchandise. When this is thrown in with IRA contacts and MI6 agents it makes for one extremely interesting tale that, regardless of your stance on drugs, you will end up willing Howard to come up smiling. Chloë Sevigny (Barry Munday) deserves a special mention for her brilliant rendition of Mark's wife and David Thewliss plays the quasi-insane IRA contact Jim McCann with great flair.

Where this film loses a star is making Rhys Ifans play Howard Marks at 17-21 which just looked ridiculous as Rhys Ifans really cannot get away with playing a character that young. What also lets the film down is the awful CGI of 1970's London that Ifans has been superimposed over. Even the grainy 'stock-footage' filter they lay over the top can't disguise how badly the CGI is and this is extremely obvious on Blu-Ray. Still, the desert scenes in Afghanistan are well shot and stunningly crisp so this isn't a problem that persists through the film.

There is a director's commentary and a couple of interviews with the Cast but it's really nothing special.

A really interesting biography of a man that has lived a very interesting - if illegal - life. Certainly one to make you think, recommended!!

When i finished reading mr nice many years ago i was wandering when they would make the movie of it,then when i read senor nice i found out Rhys was going to be playing the role, then when i saw the trailer i became overly excited for the movie, and then i waited...and waited...and waited over a year and a half for them to release the full movie, i even saw it at the cinema which is rare for me.

The movie starts well with a brief recap of howards early life, getting into university, his first experience of marijuana, then they progress very quickly on to his career as a hashish smuggler.

The movie does miss out alot of his experiences, that would have made a great directors cut, but the blu ray only has 2 deleted scenes, but i understand that they cant fit the entire life of a man in a 2 hour movie, so i wont complain,

The movie is very entertaining and worth a watch to anyone who has or hasnt read the book, its a great tribute to a national hero,

Howard Marks is a legend amongst fraudsters and narcotics dealers alike. This film perfectly captures the maverick business man and his outrageous life. It opens in monochrome turning to colour when Howard smokes his first spliff as an undergraduate. Howard Marks is played by Rhys Ifans , who plays Marks as a charming, raffish boyo from the Welsh valleys. The film is a lighthearted, amoral comedy thriller.