Love Honor & Obey (2001)

In the wake of Quentin Tarantino's genuinely inventive and impressive Reservoir Dogs, American indie "rebels" saturated the market with raw, violent, self-consciously clever crime thrillers and caper films. The overkill buried the genre, but the British have filled that much-needed void in the years since with such films as Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch. Love, Honor, and Obey is one of the most disposable entries, which is too bad considering the caliber of the cast. Jonny Lee Miller is the wannabe gangster who cajoles his best buddy Jude Law into getting him into big, bad Ray Winstone's mob. When he gets bored because "everybody is busy poncing about" he decides to ignite a gang war with rival Sean Pertwee. The versatile Kathy Burke is funny as the frustrated wife of an impotent gunman, Sadie Frost is largely wasted as Ray's not quite blushing bride, and Rhys Ifans leers and sneers as a hotheaded thug. Ostensibly the movie is a comedy, full of smarmy sex jokes, tough guys goofing in karaoke numbers, baffling scenes of sadistic violence played for laughs, and Miller narrating in full clown make-up. Dominic Anciano and Ray Burdis, who not only write and direct but costar as bouncers with an Abbot and Costello patter, play the whole thing like a comedy improvisation gone horribly wrong. It's oddly fascinating in parts but ultimately so awkward and unfocused it dissolves away in mean-spirited meaninglessness. --Sean Axmaker Amazon.com

OK, But Could Have Been Much Better

Love, Honor & Obey is about a guy named Jonny (Jonny Lee Miller) whose best childhood friend, Jude (Jude Law), grew up to become an important gangster while he himself wound up stuck in a dead end job delivering parcels. Naturally, he wants in the gang and after persuading both Jude and Jude's gang boss uncle (Ray Winstone), he becomes a member of the gang. During a series of actions, Jonny rises in the estimation of both the gang boss and his fellow gangsters.

However, this success is not enough for Jonny. He becomes quickly bored with what he sees as a gang that operates like a criminal business and wants a war. He obsessively watches war movies and discusses the Falklands War of 1982 with Jude. With Jude's help, he both kills a pair of mobsters with another gang and steals their cocaine. This ignites a war between the 2 gangs. Only problem is that neither gang can shoot straight, resulting in great comedy mixed in with the sordid gangster lifestyle.

That is the main plot/narrative of Love, Honor & Obey. This part of the script is very well written, acted and executed. If the whole movie was this good, then Love, Honor & Obey would have been a great movie. The problem is that the rest of the movie fails to measure up to this standard.

There are various subplots that never really get anywhere. For example, the gang leader chases out with a TV actress and scandalizes his mother in the process. Another subplot is that one of his hitmen is attempting to raise a family while simultaneously trafficking in cocaine. Had the time spent on these pointless subplots been spent on fleshing out the main narrative, then Love, Honor & Obey would have been a much better movie.

There are also a number of scenes in the movie that have nothing to do with anything else that's going on and which are never returned to. For example, some gangsters dress as Arabs and do a lot of talking about Viagra for no apparent reason. There is a scene involving talking like Italians. In one scene, Jude Law masquerades as a Mexican pimp for no apparent reason at all. There is another scene that involves guys dressing as women for no apparent reason at all. Characters have conversations about nothing that has anything to do with anything else going on in the movie. These interludes are pointless and a complete waste of time.

One interesting innovation in Love, Honor & Obey is the use of musical numbers to introduce the scenes that mark turning points in the movie. The best of these is Jonny Lee Miller's song about why guys like him become gangsters. The opening song involving many of the cast members that's about the gangland lifestyle is pretty good too. However, not all of these musical interludes are well executed and at least one of them is cleary actors lip synching instead of actually singing.

Love, Honor & Obey is a missed opportunity. More to the point, it is really 2 movies in 1. On the one hand, you have a great 45 minute main plot/narrative focused on Jonny's gangster life and the war between the gangs. One the other hand, you have about 45 minutes of more or less irrelevant filler that does nothing to advance the movie or make it interesting. Add it all up and what you get is an average grade crime flick. This is a shame since it had the potential to be a masterpiece. August 18, 2006

Loved it, Never tired of it!

Bottom line, if you're just a Jude Law fan as many have mentioned, you will not enjoy this movie. This movie is for lovers of British cinema, whether it be blockbuster or independent. I'm a big fan of Britain and I was lucky enough to understand not only the jokes, but the history behind them that lend itself to the hilarity of it all. Rhys Ifans as the thugged out Welshman (not true for all Welsh) in the scene with the firebomb screaming his insults, only the British and their legions can truly know how funny that is. The entire North vs. South London theme was pretty funny, too. It goes to show that the British have a great sense humor regarding their bulldog spirit. A+ film. Not one for this side of the pond. August 16, 2006

it was weird but kind of funny

Being that i'm american and not british i don't think many british likes this movie, i thought it was ok my dvr taped this and i fun myself watching it, i thought it was ok a bit weird sometimes but ok, i like the music in the beginning thats what got me hook into watching it February 18, 2006

this is a top UK gangster movie

I've seen this film ten times and I will watch it again and again. This movie is pure brilliance, the very original concept of gangsters putting the Karaoke before business, the humour, and yes the violence all come together to make this film, for me, stand out from all the same old same old being rolled off the Hollywood production line. It is British at its best and wackiest, like all the main actors using their own first names. However, what I will say is that I don't think it would be appreciated across the pond because I just don't think they will 'get it'. To sum up IT'S MONTY PYPHON MEETS THE GODFATHER DOWN THE GREEN MAN FOR A GOOD OLD SING-SONG. October 28, 2004

I never walk out of a movie but...

The only reason why I rented this movie was because Jude Law is in it. It just goes to show that all actors star in horrible movies from time to time. Watching "Love,Honour and Obey" is like watching a movies deleted scenes without watching the actual movie. Deleted scenes are often of low quality, there's no point to them and they're very boring. That sums this movie up in a nut shell. May 10, 2003

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