Naked (1993)
Directed by Mike Leigh, Written by Mike Leigh, Produced by Simon Channing Williams, Music by Andrew Dickson, Cinematography Dick Pope, Edited by Jon Gregory,
Starring, David Thewlis, Katrin Cartlidge & Lesley Sharp.
An unemployed Mancunian vents his rage on unsuspecting strangers as he embarks on a nocturnal London odyssey.
Dark, nihilistic and relentless, Mike Leigh’s Naked takes you into a world where you don't want be in the company of a man you do not want to be with.
David Thewlis play Johnny a Mancunian drifter who constantly spouts his own pseudo philosophical biblical doomsday rhetoric devised by blending knowledge of the old testament with conspiracy theories.
He is arrogant and always thinks he is the smartest guy in the room.
The character is one of these people who thinks he understands the bigger picture and you are dumb for not understanding whats going on.
Johnny would call people “Sheeple” on social media if he was around today.
Johnny is also a sexually violent psychopath, The film starts in a a dark side street where a couple are engaging in intercourse against a wall, As the camera approaches we see this is not a spontaneous act of love making or a consensual transaction for services rendered this man is sexually assaulting this woman. The assailant is Johnny. Leigh is setting the tone and our expectations this story is not going to be nice and Johnny is not your classic protagonist. After the attack Johnny flees to London and ends up on the doorstep of his ex girlfriend Louise.
Im not going to talk through the whole plot because this should really be seen and I will do it no justice.
The film then takes place over the following couple of days where johnny drifts through the nightmare of post thatcher London on his own Odyssey, moving across the city and interacting with people he meets along the way in a series of vignettes where we learn how the sadistic Johnny approaches people and ingratiates himself by acting the fool and presenting his cruel and proprietorial behaviour as being “cheeky” but its all for his own amusement so he can mock and bully you or he will aggressively turn a harmless tryst in to a act of brutality.
I sadly only saw this on an old DVD but hopefully by the time I can face a re-watch I will have access to the 4K restoration that has been released on Blu-ray by the BFI. Even through the standard def I can see Dick Pope’s cinematography is brilliant, photographing these grimy, shadowy locations. There is a scene where Johnny spends time with a night security guard and they are peering out of Venetian blinds, that shot is straight forward but is still visually poetic.
Andrew Dickson’s score is brilliant and I don't think I have ever thought about the score in a Mike Leigh film before to tell the truth but this isn't a typical Mike Leigh joint.
Leigh’s films tend to be ensemble pieces with characters interacting in families or friend groups where this is different with the lead moving through a changing landscape and having interactions with characters we tend to meet once.
There are remarkable performances in this. Obviously David Thewlis as Johnny is outstanding, coming seven years into his film acting career this appears to be Davids first lead role which he won best actor at the Cannes film festival as well as wining best actor awards from four film critic organisations internationally.
British character actor Peter Wight is memorable as the lonely night watchman, Scottish actors Ewen Bremner and Susan Vidler as Archie and Maggie are unhinged and tragic in equal measure.
I need to mention Deborah Maclaren who plays a character called “Woman in the Window” an ageing alcoholic woman Johnny encounters, Johnny rejects her sexually sighting her age and how she reminds him of his mother, In that moment recoiling from this pointed barb delivered by this young man in her room she tries to beautify herself by silently adorning herself with a big necklace and she puts her hair up and secures it with a pearloid comb and while staring with her dark vacant eyes she fixer her fringe. these actions with no dialog communicates so much about her self confidence and her desperation but the scene really drives home the viciousness of johnny and how he is prepared to hurt women not only physically. A really emotive scene.
I also spotted national treasure Toby Jones who in 1993 was at the point in his career where he played “Man in queue at a tea van”.
My only criticism about the film is the subplot regarding this odious yuppie called Jeremy. He is a white athletic rich man who drives a Porsche and is a sexual predator and rapist who operates under the camouflage of being powerful and influential, massive Jeffery Epstein vibes! In the film he targets women and treats them like objects for his amusement and portrays many traits of being a sociopath.
Perhaps its just just evading me but I don't get why he is there. When I think about it I cant help but worry what the point of him is. One reading is we have Johnny and he is a low working class guy who has had a rough life and he has mental problems and he gets carried away with sex stuff… but this rich guy is "the real villain!"
They are both villains whose behaviour is disgusting and abhorrent.
To me it feels like we get more of the same but with a higher budget. Where Johnny relies on his cheeky scallywag antics to disarm a victim where Jeremy rolls up in his Porsche and splashes some cash. Is he there to make sure people know rich people can also be violent criminals? I don't know!
I highly recommend this film along with “Life is Sweet” and “Secrets and Lies” to anyone who wants to experience Mike Leigh’s unique British film-making prowess.
"Naked" is available to rent via Amazon prime and Apple TV for £3.49
It is currently included with a subscription to the BFI player for £4.99 a month.
I recommend getting the BFI streaming service (even just for one month) because they are a wonderful organisation who celebrates British film and invests in preserving film history and the other two are
Apple and Amazon.
You can buy and keep Naked on Blu-ray from the BFI digital remaster for £7.99 from HMV
