Monday 12 July 2010

Film Review: CHOKE (2008)


Director: Clark Gregg
Running time: 89 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 18

UK release date: 21st November 2008

Watched on Sky+ Monday 12th July 2010.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

This film is based on a novel by Chuck Palahniuk, who also wrote the rather excellent Fight Club (1999). Combine that with a cast that includes Anjelica Huston and Sam Rockwell and I hope we’re onto a winner! So it was with fingers crossed and very little knowledge of the plot, I sat down to watch.

Victor Mancini is a sex addict; he goes to group sessions to help with his addiction but only ends up having sex with the woman he’s supposed to be sponsoring. He works together with his best friend, Denny, at a Colonial America re-enactment park, the kind of place school kids go to learn about the early settlers. He also is a com-man, faking choking fits in restaurants in order to get money so he can support his mother, Ida, who has dementia and lives in a home. On one of his visits he meets a doctor, Paige Marshall, who thinks she knows a way to help Ida, but it’s risky. I really don’t want to give too much away, so I’ll leave my short plot summary here.

A pretty well made film with really good performances from both Sam Rockwell as Victor and Anjelica Huston as Ida J. Mancini. I must also give honourable mentions to Brad William Henke as Denny and Kelly Macdonald as Paige Marshall.

A lot of the story is told in flashback, harking back to when Victor was a boy on the run with Ida. A really quirky film with all the odd twists you’d expect from the writer of Fight Club. Although it’s far from prefect I enjoyed this one very much, and that’s not just because of the nudity and sex scenes. Over all, not perfect, enjoyable with a few laughs: Recommended.

My score: 6.8/10

LINKS:
IMDb Site: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1024715/
Official Site: http://www.foxsearchlight.com/choke/
Trailer: http://uk.imdb.com/rg/VIDEO_PLAY/LINK/video/imdb/vi1843855641/

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