A biopic of a drug dealer

Mr Nice (2010)
Certified: 18
Duration: 121 minutes
Directed by: Bernard Rose
Starring: Rhys Ifans, Cloe Sevigny, Crispin Glover, David Thewlis
KRS release

Mr Nice tells the story of Howard Marks, a Welsh Oxford graduate, and a teacher-turned-drug smuggler who had contacts with organisations as diverse as the IRA, MI6, CIA and the Mafia.

His life story, on which the film is based, was published in 1996 and is quite an entertaining read. The protagonist of the film is Rhys Ifans who we are mostlyaccustomed to seeing in supporting roles; however, his lead performance here is imbued with charm and honesty. Mr Nice sees him benefiting from being teamed up with director Bernard Rose who has directed two noteworthy films – Candyman (1992), an impressive chiller, and Immortal Beloved (1994), a film about the life and death of Ludwig van Beethoven.

Mr Nice is essentially a Robin Hood kind of figure who, however, is more intent on enjoying the good life and the notoriety than in giving to the poor. The film has a lot in common with Blow (2001) – the biopic of Georg Jung, the man who had established the American cocaine market in the 1970s – both in tone and in execution. Mr Ifans in particular seems to be really enjoying himself as the man who was once thought to control about one-tenth of the world hashish trade.

The film chronicles Mr Howard’s life from his time in Wales to becoming a successful Oxford graduate with a second class degree – along the way he takes quite a lot of drugs. After Oxford he changes lifestyle and becomes a teetotaller. This leads him to finding work as a teacher. But when he does a pal a favour, he realises that the drug smuggling business is much more lucrative and exciting.

Along the way he is also drifted into the Secret Service who want to capitalise on his skill of being able to move from one country to another without any problems. He also meets Jim McCann (David Thewlis), an IRA head, and the two end up collaborating to transport pot in planes. Chloe Sevigny, who plays Howard’s second wife, has some really emotional moments.

Mr Thewlis is quite convincing and his sense of humour is heavier than that of Mr Ifans but the two complement each other quiet well. Mr Thewlis, in particular, seems to be very happy in his role as he is given the chance to overact with zeal. Mr Ifans is quiet enjoyable, though having him play an 18-year-old Marks was always going to be very questionable.

Mr Rose’s direction is relaxed, almost in-keeping with the subject material – evenly spacing out the different phases and moods of Mr Marks’s life. The film is episodic in nature, taking one episode after another of the fraudster’s life as if lifting excerpts from the autobiography that it is adapted from.

Things are kept light and flowing. Add to this a nostalgic and heavily sentimental streak which makes this film quite a charmer.