Reviewer's Rating 1 out of 5 Ìý User Rating 2 out of 5
Honest (2000)

The Eurythmics' Dave Stewart directs most of pop band All Saints as three crooks in an unfortunately amateur thriller set in London's 1960s. When one of the three gets caught by writer/student David (Peter Facinelli), she gets swept into a hippy existence while he becomes embroiled in her criminal world.

The stars of the film, in every sense, are the three women from All Saints. While they ultimately do not come off very well, they do at least manage to look natural in front of the camera - even during the film's pointless nude scenes. It's to their great credit that they haven't tried to keep to a wholesome image for their pop music audience.

What the All Saints haven't the experience to do, however, is make their characters interesting. But then only Peter Facinelli manages to rise above the dullness to turn in a fair performance and no-one was going to do any better with these roles.

The key problem in the film is that - with no interesting characters - it is dependent on plot. And the plot is lazy enough that it can swap antagonists around two thirds of the way through. An all-powerful and unstoppable gangland boss Duggie (Corin Redgrave) is in fact stopped by a sudden and laughable revelation. We're cheated of a confrontation with him as suddenly the big threat is from a farcical drug dealer.

The All Saints don't impress but do survive while Dave Stewart is just betrayed as the first-time director he is. The surprise and the real disappointment is the co-writing team of Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais who simply do not write this badly.

End Credits

Director: David A Stewart

Writer: Dick Clement, Ian La Frenais, David A Stewart, Karen Lee Street

Stars: Nicole Appleton, Natalie Appleton, Melanie Blatt, Peter Facinelli

Genre: Thriller, Crime

Length: 110 minutes

Cinema: 26 May 2000

Country: United Kingdom

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