Jon Baird’s Filth is a walk on the wild side, a totally unhinged, at times downright surreal black comedy about a Scottish Very Bad Lieutenant played by a hyperventilating, go-for-broke James McAvoy, who sheds any sense of previously earned pretty-boy image with this career changing performance of intense cinematic excess. Lots of wink-wink, stare-directly-at-the-camera humor, loads of depraved sex and graphic nudity, some nasty violence, all wrapped up in a cruel, satirical bow that only original author Irvine Welsh (Trainspotting) could come up with. Sure, the purposefully messy aesthetic is borrowed from other films of this sort, but it’s the anarchic spirit that the story clings too that keeps everything moving forward at a relentless clip, never stopping to take a breath. McAvoy is utterly insane here, losing himself completely into a sordid world of bad behavior with little to no consequences…up until the ballsy-as-hell final shot, which should leave you snickering with evil delight. The great supporting cast includes Eddie Marsan, Jamie Bell, Imogen Poots (that name…those eyes!), Jim Broadbent, Joanne Froggatt, and Gary Lewis. This is a prime example of outlaw cinema that should only be viewed if you’re drawn to extremely aggressive narratives featuring morally questionable, sometimes unlikable lead characters who have a weak spot for drugs and alcohol and more drugs and an undying appetite for kinky sex. And again, I have to state: McAvoy is just outrageously awesome in this film, grabbing the material by the throat and never letting go.
Podcasting Them Softly 