The Actors ** (2003, Michael Caine, Dylan Moran, Michael Gambon) – Classic Movie Review 8356

‘Thick as thieves. Only thicker.’ Unfortunately, this little known Michael Caine film deserves to be little known, though it has its modest charms and is not a total bust.

Michael Caine and Dylan Moran star as resting actors Anthony O’Malley and Tom Quirk, who are trying to sting a gangster called Barreller (Michael Gambon) with a phony deal, in writer-director Conor McPherson’s shockingly ordinary 2003 crime comedy The Actors, set in Ireland. O’Malley gets Tom to pretend to be someone Barreller owes money to and collects it in his place.

The real-life actors just about keep a feeble, thinly plotted show on the road, but McPherson’s tired script (based on a story by the producer Neil Jordan) lacks any real invention, freshness and laughs, soon running out of steam. Caine as fading actor Anthony O’Malley, Moran as Tom Quirk and Gambon as Barreller are all good enough.

Also in the cast are Lena Headey, Miranda Richardson, Michael McElhatton, Aisling O’Sullivan, Ben Miller, Abigail Iversen and Michael Colgan.

The Actors is directed by Conor McPherson, runs 91 minutes, is made by Close Call Films, Company of Wolves, DreamWorks, Scala, Senator Film Produktion, Bórd Scannán na hÉireann, FilmFour and Miramax, is released by Miramax and Momentum Pictures (UK), is written by Conor McPherson, based on a story by Neil Jordan, is shot by Seamus McGarvey, is produced by Neil Jordan, Stephen Wooley and Redmond Morris, is scored by Michael Nyman and is designed by Mark Geraghty.

© Derek Winnert 2019 Classic Movie Review 8356

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