Two kids, one sociopath ... and a knife

Double-edged 'A Room for Romeo Brass' funny, frightening

By Paul Tatara
CNN.com Reviewer

(CNN) -- Imagine how you would have felt about "The Full Monty" (1997) if Robert Carlyle's character had stopped halfway through the proceedings to kick an innocent bystander unconscious. That's pretty much the feeling you get while watching Shane Meadows' "A Room for Romeo Brass."

It starts off as a standard-issue British working-class comedy, the kind that focuses on bickering parents, continually bitching school kids and sarcastic banter. Then, around the middle of the second act, it transforms itself into a suburban nightmare in which a previously amusing loner holds a knife to a little boy's throat.

That may be realistic. Sociopaths, after all, don't carry placards announcing themselves as dangerous. But Meadows blindsides you with a genuinely ugly plot twist. If his aim is to make you feel guilty for having the gall to laugh during the first 50 minutes, he's entirely successful.

Romeo Brass (Andrew Shim) and his best friend, Gavin (Ben Marshall), are 12-year-old neighbors living in Nottingham, England. Romeo is more or less the brains of the duo, and Gavin, who walks with a limp, supplies the good humor. The opening scene, during which pudgy Romeo eats the chips out of the fish and chips that he's purchased for his mom and sister, is funny and believable.

Romeo simply can't stay out of trouble, and Gavin laughs it up whenever he stumbles. That's OK, though, because Gavin laughs at everyone, including Morrell (Paddy Considine), a local eccentric who has the hots for Romeo's sexy sister, Ladine (Vickie McClure).

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Ladine thinks Morrell is a weirdo, and she's on the right track. He has absolutely no social skills; merely conversing with adults is a painful struggle for him. When he does speak up, he relays bizarre anecdotes, like the one in which he literally wrestles an attacking demon into submission. Nevertheless, Romeo and Gavin like hanging out with him. He's funny, doesn't mind if they skip school, and lugs them around in his car whenever they need a lift.

One day, the two boys tell an increasingly lovesick Morrell that they'll help him snag Ladine. Then they intentionally humiliate him by dressing him up in theoretically "hip" clothes that make him look even more ridiculous than he already is. This turns out to be a very bad move.

Ladine eventually takes pity on poor Morrell and agrees to go on an innocent date with him. Yet another bad move. He soon starts obsessing over her, and the movie becomes menacing.

Considine is an inarguably disturbing performer. The script, of course, generates most of the discomfort, but your feelings are often in flux when he's on screen. Some of the funniest lines are delivered by Morrell, even though his strange little quirks temper the laughs. The average person could conceivably be charmed by his peculiarities, but he's capable of falling into aggressive emotional stances that are anything but endearing. When he finally does push things too far, it's much more intimidating than you expect it to be.

The performers can't be faulted. Considine seems totally consumed by Morrell, and Shim as Romeo carries many of the establishing scenes all by himself. Who hasn't known a kid with Romeo's adventurous, but still whiny, personality? The two boys' constant bickering is the glue that holds their characters together; there's a lot of agitation spinning around them.

Frank Harper, as Romeo's estranged dad, makes a couple of appearances that are just as frightening as Morrell's more obvious hostility. The boys' dark humor serves as a buffer against the realities of life. Then, of course, reality comes knocking and won't go away.

Given the right mood, you could get a lot out of "A Room for Romeo Brass." It's not, however, the movie its trailer and poster purports it to be, and many people will recoil when they realize what they've gotten themselves into. If nothing else, that'll force them to empathize with Romeo.

"A Room for Romeo Brass" contains quite a bit of profanity, a strange scene where Morrell tries to convince Ladine to fondle him, and several instances of intimidation and explosive violence. It's practically two movies for the price of one. Rated R. 90 minutes. Look quick for Bob Hoskins, who has roughly three lines as Gavin's school teacher.

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