A paean to the classic westerns, Shane Meadows' Once Upon A Time in the Midlands may appear to be a slight comedy for lengthy portions, but an emotional drama lies beneath the surface, yearning to break out. Carlyle plays Jimmy, a low rent thief who witnesses his former partner (Shirley) refusing her current boyfriend, Dek's (Ifans) proposal of marriage live on a chat show. Despite the fact that he walked out on her and their daughter some years before, her rebuttal sparks something in Jimmy, and after nicking the proceeds of a bizarre robbery, he makes his way to the Midlands. While his foster sister, Carol (Burke) and her estranged husband (Tomlinson) welcome him, virtually nobody else is pleased to see Jimmy back, especially Dek.
Although there's nothing especially innovative here, Once Upon A Time in the Midlands is a very likeable film. The broad brush comedy may miss a few of its targets, but there's energy to Meadows' writing that's infectious. The excellent performances he coaxes out of his heavyweight cast (in British terms, anyway) and the deep emotional undercurrent means that Once Upon A Time in the Midlands is very enjoyable stuff. He could do with a few lessons in stylish delivery though.
