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Transposing of mice and men, John Steinbeck’s Great Depression novella, to an equally depressing modern-day setting was a brilliant idea, but something’s lost in translation. Stephen Graham is a chancer in hock to gangster David O’Hara; Adewale Akinnuoye-Abaje plays his child-like cohort, whom O’Hara wants for his illegal boxing ring.
These bouts aren’t the only heavy-handed moments, however – the treatment of Akinnuoye- Abaje and new love Maxine Peake’s learning disabilities make for an uneven if honourable attempt at updating a literary landmark.
Matt Glasby is a freelance film and TV journalist. You can find his work on Total Film - in print and online - as well as at publications like the Radio Times, Channel 4, DVD REview, Flicks, GQ, Hotdog, Little White Lies, and SFX, among others. He is also the author of several novels, including The Book of Horror: The Anatomy of Fear in Film and Britpop Cinema: From Trainspotting To This Is England.