Clockwork Mice ** (1995, Ian Hart, Rúaidhrí Conroy, Art Malik, John Alderton, James Bolam) – Classic Movie Review 3788

This 1995 British effort is an old-style heart-warming school drama with Ian Hart as Steve, an idealistic new special needs education teacher at a school for deprived and struggling kids.

For a while, Clockwork Mice is enjoyable enough and looks as though it is going to be fine. But it heads downhill around half way and, with the running theme, the finale ends up like Chariots of Fire on a bad day.

However, Hart is good and so is Rúaidhrí Conroy as his main problem pupil, Conrad. with whom Steve finds a way to have a special relationship through the hobby of cross-country running they have in common. The two actors share string screen chemistry that keeps the movie running.

But some of the other performances are dodgy. And, as written by Rod Woodruff, the film has got a hollow centre that neither the actors nor director Vadim Jean can fill.

Also in the cast are Catherine Russell, Art Malik, John Alderton, James Bolam, Claire Skinner, Nigel Planer, Lilly Edwards and Robin Soans.

Ian Hart says: ‘There’s a statistical theory that if you gave a million monkeys typewriters and set them to work, they’d eventually come up with the complete works of Shakespeare. Thanks to the Internet, we now know this isn’t true.’

Vadim Jean’s seventh feature film is Breaking the Bank (2014) released in the UK on 3 June 2016.

© Derek Winnert 2016 Classic Movie Review 3788

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