This film was seen as part of the Audi Dublin International Film Festival 2017.
The first half of Mindhorn is a pretty enjoyable British show business farce.
Richard Thorncroft is a failed British character, struggling to keep his career alive following a run on the cult eighties television show Mindhorn. Throncroft made his name playing the eponymous detective with a bionic eye that literally allowed him to see the truth. Inevitably Thorncroft ended up washed up and forgotten, a failed star crashing to Earth. When he is offered one last job, he is forced to return to Mindhorn both literally and figuratively. It is a fairly standard set-up, with Mindhorn reveling in Thorncroft’s lack of self-awareness and decency.
Not a patch on Bergerac.
However, the second half of Mindhorn is something to behold, as this familiar set-up gives way to a high-energy surrealist farce.
Around midway through the film, Mindhorn makes a sharp pivot into something altogether more outlandish than the familiar British “failed celebrity” farce and evolves into something much less grounded and familiar. The result is one of the most enjoyable comedies in recent memory, and a cult film in waiting. As Thorncraft finds himself wading deeper and deeper into the chaos and insanity, Mindhorn feels like a psychological horror played as absurdist comedy. The result is nothing short of astounding.
King of the Beach.
Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: bbc, bergerac, Isle of Man, julian barrett, mindhorn, non-review review, review, sean foley, Television | 4 Comments »
the m0vie blog 