事不过三 Three and Out review by David Mercier

Paul Callow (Crook) is a London Underground driver and aspiring writer. After accidentally running over two people in a matter of weeks, Paul learns from his colleagues that anyone who hits three people within a month gets a massive pay off. He comes across vagrant Tommy Cassidy (Meaney) in the middle of a suicide attempt, and in exchange for enough money for a few days of joy, Tommy agrees to jump under Paul's train. However, in the few days he has left, Tommy decides to visit his wife Rosemary (Staunton) and daughter Frankie (Gemma Arterton) after not seeing them for years, and tries to make amends before he dies.

Three and Out has been heavily criticised by the overpaid communists at ASLEF. Their main complaint is that the film makes a joke out of a tube driver hitting someone; something which they claim causes significant psychological stress. But if they'd bothered to see the film before opening their mouths, they would have seen that that's actually one thing the film handles very well. What they would have also seen is that there are much more legitimate and fundamental problems with the film that don't relate to their concerns at all.

I gather they were largely thrown by the film's trailer; a trailer that suggests, quite strongly, that Three and Out is going to be some sort of hearty comedy. In actual fact, while the film has some funny moments, it is far more serious than the advertising has suggested. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it is a contributing factor to the film's tonal insecurity; the lines between the sombre moments and those which are more light-hearted in nature are never entirely clear. It's the sort of film that creates a serious scenario, only to try to break the tension with a joke or two at what seems like an inappropriate moment.

Crook is, quite frankly, miscast. He's not a bad actor, but he lacks that everyman quality that is needed to sell Paul's emotional development; from feeling nothing for Tommy to feeling everything. Where's Martin Freeman when you need him? Meaney is solid - charming, funny and weighty - and his scenes of quiet reconciliation with an equally good Staunton are amongst the film's best. Arterton continues to impress. Frankie is a nothing role, but somehow Arterton is able to show us inside her head. Frankie becomes our emotional reference point in the final third of the film.

My initial feeling upon leaving Thee and Out was one of almost complete confusion. This wasn't confusion in the sense that I didn't know what had happened, but rather that I didn't know how I was supposed to be feeling. Was I supposed to be moved by film? Was I supposed to be entertained by it? Was I supposed to feel a combination of everything? This is the core problem with the film - its lack of focus. It's funny one minute and glum the next. It has little subplots and stories that don't go anywhere, while the heart of the story is neglected. It tries to be sweet, smutty, silly and deadly serious all at once. It's a muddle to be sure.

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