Voxitype Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

Dirtylogy It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

Derrick Gibbons An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

Billy Ollie Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

bowmanblue I first watched 'Love, Honour and Obey' back when it was released in 2000. Seeing as I've always been reasonably into British gangster films, in short, I thought it was pretty cool. However, I never had it on DVD and have only just got round to re-watching it a good fifteen years later. Despite my good memories of the film, I begrudgingly have to admit that it hasn't aged all that well.Perhaps I was so into Guy Ritchie's style of cockney gangster flick of the late nineties/early 2000s that I somehow lumped this into the same nostalgically-good category. I don't want to be too harsh on it, because there are definitely some good points and I didn't totally hate it – it just let me down on a repeat viewing. We meet Johnny Lee Miller's character who is pretty much a London nobody and dreams of working his way into 'the mob' who it just so happens that his childhood friend, Jude Law, is already related to.The overall impression I got after the credits rolled was that it felt more like a 'made-for-TV' movie. And, upon looking into it, I did find that it was originally shown on the BBC before its release on DVD (or VHS in those days!). It's rare that I notice the 'direction' of a film so much. Normally, a film is cut together so smoothly that you can follow the story at all times. However, here scenes just sort of end as if the film cut out mid-dialogue. It really is a bit jarring after a while. Plus there are some scenes that don't really go anywhere and feel a little out of place in the scheme of things. And, while we're on the topic of odd scenes, this film does struggle to know what it wants to be. At first glance it's a gangster film, but it's never really dark and gritty enough to be that nasty. It throws weird comedic scenes and plot-lines in there which wouldn't be out of place in an American Pie film. However, again, it's not funny enough to be a comedy and, like the editing, it bounces all over the place.But, like I say, even now I didn't feel I totally wasted my time watching it. For a start it contains a stellar cast, headed by Ray Winstone, Johnny Lee Miller and Jude Law (the less said about Sadie Frost's performance the better). However, the stand-out performance comes from a truly menacing Rhys Ifans for his rival villain. For some reason they're all called by their actors' first names – weird, but interesting. Then you have the karaoke scenes which really are quite fun (not to mention catchy!).There was still just about enough nostalgia here to entertain me and, if you're a major fan of any of the leads, you'll probably find enjoyment during its hour and a half run-time. However, I can't see it being regarded as much of a classic in the long run. It was kind of trying to ride the coattails of Lock, Stock and hope no one really noticed. I did at the time, but it doesn't now.

Spikeopath Bored with his hum-drum life as a North London postman, Jonny approaches his pal Jude about getting in with the North London Mob run by Jude's uncle Ray. After winning favour with Ray by bringing a credit card scam into the gang, Jonny starts to spice things up by causing trouble with the rival mob from South London. But although Jonny has won respect from his fellow gang members, he's also getting ideas above his station, and it's not long before his actions put everyone in danger, including their families.So a load of well known British actors make a humorous tongue in cheek satire of the gangster genre, and many failed to get it. Working from a very basic plot and script, directors and writers Dominic Anciano and Ray Burdis gathered the likes of Ray Winstone, Sadie Frost, Jonny Lee Miller, Jude Law, Rhys Ifans, Kathy Burke and Sean Pertwee. And let them run with it. Creating a funny ad-libbed picture that the cast clearly enjoyed making, and really the viewers should be in on the joke as well. Anyone expecting some hard edged Brit gangster film are in for a big disappointment, there is violence and there are drugs, but nothing here is designed for shock value. This really is a fun movie, slyly poking the ribs of gangs and their bosses whilst cutely reminding all that families get involved as well. From the use of Viagra to karaoke sequences, Love, Honour and Obey is a British treasure that has been badly misunderstood. If the fact that the coup de grace at the finale is played out in fancy dress doesn't tell you that it has been taking the urine, well you have walked down the wrong garden path. 8/10

ian1000 Recommended to me by a colleague he did my a huge favour - like a fool I read bad reviews and ignored this gem; lesson learned my son! Some people will never "get" this movie; bear with me if you believe that you fall into this category.The first thing an astute viewer will spot is that most of the characters are named after the actors; a trademark of the writers. The inept gangsters - pretty much all of them - deliver a first class comic performance.If you laughed at Snatch, at Lock Stock film and TV show, and of course laughed with Tarantino on his journey - you'll surely laugh at this film.Bravo are showing it regularly at the moment (Jan 2007).

lambsy_uk I just happened across this film on TV and couldn't take my eyes of it. I laughed, I smiled, I cringed (at some gory bits), and had a big grin on my face throughout.Love, Honour, and Obey has a nice little story line running from start to finish, which is mingled with cracking little sub-plots involving matrimonial problems, personal feuds, the most unlucky man in London, and some titillating little Karaoke excerpts that brought a smile to my face and even had me singing along.All the characters are rogues, but you get to love many of them, and hate the one's you're supposed to hate.I've not enjoyed a film so much in years; it reminded me of the first time I saw Trainspotting, just loving it from start to finish. So much so that I bought the DVD the next day and watched it all again! And unlike some films where they become naff on second viewing when you know what's coming, this was just as good on the re-run!