Lucky Break [DVD] [2001]

Following a failed bank robbery, affable crooks Jimmy (James Nesbitt) and Rudy (Lennie James) find themselves locked up for a lengthy stretch in HM Prison Long Rudford. The pair soon discover that the prison governer has written a musical based on the life of Nelson, and offer to stage the show for him, thus providing themselves with cover for an escape attempt. However, as the night of the big break approaches, Jimmy’s fledgling romance with prison support worker Annabel (Olivia Williams) threatens to cause problems.
Peter Cattaneo’s Lucky Break is a likable comedy which suffered by comparison with his earlier hit The Full Monty, but is attractive enough in its own terms. Charming incompetent bank robber Jimmy Hands (James Nesbitt), five years into a 12-year sentence, puts together an escape plan which exploits the desire of the stage-struck prison governor (Christopher Plummer) to see his musical about the life of Nelson performed. The plan gets ever more complicated as he finds himself needing to outwit an unpleasant thug who wants to supplant his original accomplices and wanting to wreck the career of a bullying prison officer and having to weigh the idea of escaping at all against his growing relationship with anger management trainer Annabel (Olivia Williams).
This is an intelligent caper film with some underlying seriousness to it; Jimmy comes slowly to realise that crime does involve mixing with some fairly unpleasant people. The backstage musical stuff–with its wonderfully fatuous ex-Cambridge director and a score just the right side of entire dreadfulness–is hilarious and the working out of the plot’s convoluted central scam efficient. If there is an overall failure of tone, it comes from the clash between the farce elements and the bittersweet quality of the central relationship, as well as Timothy Spall’s portrayal of the victimised Cliff.
On the DVD: Lucky Break is presented in an anamorphic 2.35:1 ratio and has Dolby Digital 5.1 sound. The special features include a director’s commentary, cast and crew interviews and a short “Making of” featurette. –Roz Kaveney