When you hear the name Mr. Nice, doesn’t it sound like someone you would want to be friends with, even if the guy is a drug dealer? Now don’t get confused and think this is Mr. Nice Guy from Half Baked, this is hashish dealer Howard Marks’ alias, and a fitting one at that.
Because I like the official synopsis so much, I’d rather you find out what the film is about by reading it, it sounds so much more exciting than if I were to spill my own version all over this page.
MR. NICE tells the story of Howard Marks (Rhys Ifans),a Welsh-born Oxford University student whose dabbling in a marijuana dealing led to a career as an international cannabis smuggler with supposed connections to the IRA, MI6 and the Mafia – all amid side jobs such as travel agent, teacher and spy.
Marks’ adventures, conducted under countless alibis, brought him everywhere from London, Ireland and Germany to Pakistan, Thailand, Spain and America, and eventually to prison.
At the height of his career, he was said to have controlled 10 percent of the world’s hashish trade.
The film dives into Marks’ transformation from an accidental dealer in the UK to one whose operation eventually ran globally. He used his connection to Jim McCann (David Thewlis), a leader in the IRA and a porn addict, to grow large in the UK, and then it was his ambition and love of cannabis that drove him global. Obviously there were some family sacrifices along the way, but it would amaze you as to how they all coped with it.
Personally, I’m a big fan of Rhys Ifans, I have yet to watch a movie that I didn’t like him in, and this one is no exception to that rule. Now I don’t know if Marks was really as likable in real life as Ifans portrayed him to be, but dammit if he was, I want to be his friend. This guy never yelled at anyone once in the movie and never his wife. This is a respectable man who tries to put his family first by ending his involvement in the drug ring, but then continues working for the love and thrill of the game. He also never goes outside the cannabis trade and tries to keep his good thing going in a classy way. That’s love and dedication ladies and gentleman.
What I liked about this movie was that it moved very fast but managed to stay detailed, which is rare now a days. A lot of this had to do with having Howard narrate his thoughts, it allows us to get inside Marks’ brain and learn what he was really thinking despite what things may look like on screen. You learn his philosophy which allowed me run with him, he brings pot to society because he, like many people, think there is nothing wrong with it. If the law is wrong, is it wrong to break it?
One of my favorite aspects of the movie was David Thewlis and his role as the porn addicted/psychotic IRA leader, Jim McCann. This guy was off the wall and stole every scene he was in, probably because he was such a booming character compared to Marks and his slightly quieter demeanor, even though he seems to always be talking. There is one scene where Jim draws a face on his penis and then talks with it to Howard’s wife, it was ridiculous and completely unexpected, but funny nonetheless.
Throughout the movie the only person I felt bad for, and seems to be the case in all movies like this, is the wife, played by Chloë Sevigny. The wives are the ones that have to deal with all the trouble even though they aren’t part of the real crime. I think Chloe did a great job as well, she was the loving pot smoking wife that cared about her husband and how his actions would affect the family.
Director Bernard Rose, who also adapted the script from Howard Marks’ book, did a solid job putting together a movie about the nicest drug kingpin you’ll ever hear about. While the duration didn’t bother me, because I never felt bored watching the film, I do think certain parts could have been cut to trim the excess fat off so to speak. One of the things I believe Rose probably ran into trouble with is what to include in the film and what to cut. Marks’ life is so amazing and rich with content that you could tell certain aspects were left out or cut short, resulting in me wanting more but knowing it was sacrificed for the timeliness of the film. Oh the tribulations of biopics.
Overall, Mr. Nice was an enjoyable little biopic that didn’t fully live up to my expectations but got the job done when it came to making me smile. Marks is a fascinating character and I plan on reading his book to find out what other shenanigans he got himself into. The acting was on par with what I had expected and won’t upset too many people. If you want to watch a movie about a charismatic, honest and smart pot dealer, then look no further than Mr. Nice.
Rating: A simple, drug dealing movie for the pot smoking hippy in all of us (6.5/10)
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