A nurse eavesdrops with a friend on a cell phone conversation that describes a bank heist. She and the friend then conspire to blackmail the robbers for two million dollars.A nurse eavesdrops with a friend on a cell phone conversation that describes a bank heist. She and the friend then conspire to blackmail the robbers for two million dollars.A nurse eavesdrops with a friend on a cell phone conversation that describes a bank heist. She and the friend then conspire to blackmail the robbers for two million dollars.
- Awards
- 1 nomination
- Duty Sergeant
- (as Mike Attwell)
Storyline
Did you know
- GoofsWhen the metal case is tossed off the train, it punches a hole in the roof of the Mitsubishi Shogun. Later when Frances drives to the station, the hole is not visible.
- Quotes
Shannon: Wait. I just thought of something.
Frances: What?
Shannon: You're a woman.
Frances: ...Yeah.
Shannon: Guys like that won't take orders from women. They just pulled off a multi-million pound bank robbery and some woman rings them up asking for 300,000 pounds? I don't think they're gonna take you seriously.
Frances: It's the 21st century. Women are doing every kind of job. We can do extortion.
Shannon: What are you trying to do? Raise their consciousness or get the money?
Frances: Ideally, both.
- Crazy creditsThe producer would like to thank ... The Residents of Lower Kingswood (All that gunfire) ...
- ConnectionsReferences Mission: Impossible (1966)
My biggest satisfaction from this film came from the very unrealistic portrayal of London's dark underbelly. It begins with a very sinister retrospect on the crime in this populated city with images of hardcore robbers doing what they do best. That is the last glimpse we have of that world because by the end of the film the darkness sheds to light and we are handed a fantasy world all our own. The bad guys go from their darkened world and into mansions full of color, ambition, and cartoon blunders. It is this sense of unreality that kept me focused on this film. Here we have two women that are having this 'movie' adventure while hiding in bushes, wearing dark sunglasses, and fighting with guys in the cow pastures, yet on the other hand we have these criminals that truly want to kill them. There are huge guns fired, people get shot, and there are even some literal explosions. It reminded me of when Elmer Fudd was hunting for Bugs Bunny. There is some horror to the realization that Fudd only wants to 'kill the rabbit', but there is humor in the unrealistic events that occur due to Bugs' outlandish style and Fudd's ignorance. So, when you look at the cover of this film, do not be fooled. What I am trying to say here is that the unreal story is what kept my attention. I don't know if the writers wanted to create a real world with these heroes, but in my eyes they didn't. This was a fictional story, and I couldn't see this happening in real life and that worked for me.
I must say that Minnie Driver and Mary McCormack are not at the top of Hollywood players list, but they seemed to carry themselves well in this picture. I think the reason that they worked was because it was a small film. Driver and McCormack do better in these small budgeted films than they do in the blockbusters. I don't think I have ever seen a big-budget Minnie Driver film that I would say was 'amazing', and the same goes for McCormack. High Heels and Low Lifes is their type of film. Thankfully, director Mel Smith knows that and knew what he had to work with. He keeps the tone low on this film, making the humor not laugh-out-loud, but grinable. There wasn't really anything spectacular about the direction of this film, and that was perfect for this film. At times directors of these smaller films try to reach out and become to artsy with their craft, this was not the case here. Smith stayed on the path of this film and worked his magic with the greatest of ease. He was not trying to go over the top, but yet successfully kept this film from sinking.
Overall, this was a 'cute' film. I will use that word again because I cannot think of a better way to describe this simple film. It was easy on the eyes and on the mind, and if you are in the mood for that style of film than High Heel and Low Lifes will provide it. Minnie Driver and Mary McCormack play off each other exceptionally well while Mel Smith eases behind the camera. There is nothing spectacular about this film. I probably will never see it again, but it was worth watching once. It is always good to have these types of films around. Those that do not try to go overboard, yet give you exactly what you went in looking for. I was impressed.
Grade: *** out of *****
- film-critic
- Nov 9, 2004
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Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- BlackMail
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $10,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $228,194
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $113,512
- Oct 28, 2001
- Gross worldwide
- $2,340,411
- Runtime1 hour 26 minutes
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1