SXSW Review: “Mr. Nice”

Imagine if George Jung went to Oxford…and sorta got away with it in the end. Meet Howard Marks, the Welsh drug smuggler who was at one time responsible for 10% of the world’s weed supply. Marks story is truly amazing. Not only did he not believe in violence, but he was a family man who refused to traffic hard drugs. He believed, as many of us do, that marijuana was a mostly harmless substance that shouldn’t be outlawed by federal governments.

Because Marks was unusually principled for a drug dealer, star Rhys Ifans is able to breathe humanity into the titular character and make him a sympathetic one. Given that the SXSW showing was the film’s world premiere, I was able to meet Ifans after the showing. I told him he should be nominated for Best Actor his work on this film. Ifans idolized Marks as a teenager, going as far as even writing him letters as a teenager. Because of that, the men remain friends to this day. They even share an uncanny striking resemblance. The Welshman was truly born to play this role.

Chloë Sevigny and David Thewlis of Harry Porter were also terrific, but it was director Bernard Rose’s touch that will push this flick into the pantheon of great drug films. First off, I actually liked the decision to have Ifans play the teenage Marks, even if it was just in a series of black and white shots. Ifans can play young, and it allowed us to get attached to both him and his performance immediately.

Visually, the overall look, including green-screened shots over old school serial footage, gave the film an authentic feel. Most importantly, Rose consulting with both lawyers and Marks about the accuracy of the screenplay — paired with its modestly budgeted Indie production — made Mr. Nice feel far less Hollywood than, say, Blow or even Catch Me If You Can. That’s a good thing.

I could rave about this film all day. Yesterday I stated that The Happy Poet was the best film I had seen at SXSW. While I love that film as well, it just isn’t in the same league as Mr. Nice. This is a special picture that will soon have a spot in my collection, probably in a Criterion case. Mr. Nice is a cinematic high you won’t want to come down from.