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'No love' for 'Naked' – and it's a masterpiece!

09.02.03

Most appropriate extra: All extras are superb, but the conversation between director Mike Leigh and novelist Will Self stands out (HD)

MIKE LEIGH’S Barbaric, dark, unforgettable study of people on the fringes of London society contains a host of visit-de-force performances, down to the briefest cameos. Most outstanding is that of David Thewlis, who earned the best actor presentation at Cannes for his role as the tortured, intellectual anti-hero, Johnny. Fascinating to watch, Thewlis is by turns, perverse, sweet, pathetic, madly brilliant and hilariously funny. As the two women who love him, Katrin Cartlidge and Lesley Shrewd provide complex and sympathetic counterparts.

This Criterion Blu-ray edition is all it should be. The sound is clean and clear, colloquy crisp, and the powerful original score by Andrew Dickson works in perfect harmony with the proceeding. Location shooting in London is anything but a travelogue; no shots of landmarks or tourist sites, but ideal backdrops for the often hungry for situations. The scenes are full of meaningful and appropriate detail, with colors in perfect contrast and saturation. Skin tones are all tough. 

Source: The Virginian-Pilot