THREE AND OUT/RISKY BUSINESS

Pacts with the devil have been used to make many fine movies. Here the twist is that one man, a tube driver, agrees to pay a wannabe suicide £1500 for the privilege of running him down.

************

It is obviously controversial subject matters. There are already enough people dying under tubes, causing emotional hell for everyone involved, without making a comedy to suggest that such a death is either funny or therapeutic.

For the record, Crook makes his generous offer because he has just killed two people in a row by accident and learned that a three victim in month will earn him a huge payoff.

Not that he wants the money for money’s sake. No, instead he merely wants it to escape his mundane job and focus on his passion, which is literature.

All very peculiar indeed.

But the filmmakers, including stars Mackenzie Crook, the driver, and Colm Meany, the man with a terminal wish, have apparently made their peace with the story line and throw themselves into the plot with relish.

Some film fans will have trouble making the same journey but anyone who wants to get on board can take solace in the fact that the lead duo quickly leave their bond behind – indeed, they flee London altogether – and get into far more conventional comic situations.

In short, all hell breaks loose, as Meany decides to use his money and his last few days on earth to make some amends with his estranged family and Crooke tags along to protect his investment.

Of course, the ultimate get out clause for the filmmakers is that it is obvious from the beginning the Crooke is never actually going to get through with his devious plot.

More to the point, it is a foregone conclusion that he is going to learn some enhancing life lessons from his deal and become a better person.

So, ultimately, there is nothing controversial about Three And Out after all. It is just another jolly buddy pic. If you can shut your eyes during the opening minutes where Crooke runs over two people!

You can catch a glimpse of the leads shaking hands on their deal on this QuickTime link .

Three And Out opens on April 25, 2008.

Posted April 21, 2008.