Once upon a time in the Midlands (3 Stars)

A tale of conflict and cowardice. Jimmy, a small time thief, returns from Glasgow to Nottingham to visit his ex-wife and win her back from her new boyfriend who he considers to be a spineless coward. His reappearance wreaks havoc in the quiet town.

It's difficult to write about this film. It has a lot of promise, and it's a film I want to like, but after watching it a second time it still doesn't enthrall me. It stars Rhys Ifans, one of my favorite actors, and Robert Carlyle gives the performance of a lifetime. So what's wrong?

First of all, Rhys Ifans is miscast. He's far from his usual supercool self. He just can't convince me that he's a coward. He's not a fighter, but I'd expect him to laugh about a challenge and not take it seriously rather than run away. The plot has holes, such as the Scottish gang giving up too fast after not finding Jimmy. Maybe Nottingham seems to be just too placid and complacent. There's a small war going on, but the neighbours don't even look out of their windows. But truly, I don't know what's wrong with the film. It's missing a vital spark. It could have been a lot better, but I don't know how.