ASHES is an unusual little thriller, shot in the Isle of Man, which I thought came across as bad taste a bit. It stars a headlining Ray Winstone as an Alzheimer's sufferer who's broken out of a nursing home by his son Jim Sturgess. The two then go on a road movie of sorts while events of the past continue to influence the present.
This is a fairly difficult film to enjoy, as it has a slow pace and the characters are resolutely unlikeable from beginning to end. And that's from somebody who likes Winstone as an actor, but I wasn't sure about his character here; I ended up laughing at a couple of his violent outbursts rather than being moved by them.
The thriller aspects of the storyline are rather murky and the dodgy camera-work in the flashbacks also spoils things a bit. The ending I found unsatisfactory too. Sturgess seems one dimensional throughout and it's left to supporting actors like Luke Evans, Jodie Whittaker, and Lesley Manville to hold the fort.
Ashes
2012
Action / Drama / Mystery / Thriller
Ashes
2012
Action / Drama / Mystery / Thriller
Plot summary
Frank (Ray Winstone) is confined to a residential home, stricken with Alzheimer's - past, present and future steadily disintegrating. Then one day, James (Jim Sturgess) appears, wanting to re-connect with a father who no longer knows him. James springs Frank from the home and the pair go on the run. As their haphazard journey unfolds - funny, violent and tragic by turns - the present merges with imperfect memories of the past and fact with fiction and we begin to realize that nothing is quite what it seems. ASHES itself defies neat categorization; part road movie, part psychological thriller; part contemporary film noir, but all beautifully shot and with a grimly satisfying twist.
Uploaded by: FREEMAN
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Unappetising would-be thriller
King of the Road
Frank (Ray Winstone) is institutionalized because of severe Alzheimer disease. He doesn't have the cute Hollywood version where a man forgets to wear his pants from time to time, but rather one where he becomes violent and remembers things like how to hot wire automobiles. His son (Luke Evans) shows up at the institute and breaks him out, although we soon discover his reason is not as benign as it appears on the surface as Luke tries to save both Frank and his family.
The film has a number of twists. The problem of dealing with an Alzheimer's patient is presented in such a way that it should be left to professionals.
This is a well acted, well developed story.
Parental Guide: F-bomb. No sex or nudity.
Different & dramatic, a big switch from Winstones previous films.
This is a film that isn't going to be what many viewers had in mind. You will not get your typical Ray Winstone film here, not in any form you've seen him in his prior roles. It's a tale of a son who has lost contact with his father for some time & begins to search him out. The film almost immediately starts with this goal being achieved, finding his Alzheimer ridden father at a nearby mental hospital in vary poor shape prone to very violent outbursts & unpredictability. The son is quick to break him out knowing full well it's not a good idea and leaves it's audience weary of his overall motives. There is much confusion and zero comedy as just keeping the son's father in tow is a serious problem. As the third act begins a twist is laid out bringing new life to a very depressing mood. It's well acted & filmed so no problems in that area, but I stand to believe many will find this not to be a very pleasing watch. It is listed correctly as a drama although I was kind of hoping for more action. There is a small dose towards the end. I would recommend this, but only to those that are aiming for a story driven drama which brings me to the rating of 5/10