4.3.2.1. - DVD

Movie: Actually, the four friends Shannon (Ophelia Lovibond), Joanne (Emma Roberts), Cassandra (Tamsin Egerton) and Kerrys (Shanika Warren-Markland) from London each have enough problems of their own. Joanne, for instance, has to pull extra shifts at the supermarket due to her parents' financial problems, and doesn't really have a good time there because of her bossy co-worker Lee (Noel Clarke). Cassandra's short trip to New York, where she wants to introduce herself to a renowned music school and meet a secret internet love, is anything but positive. And Kerry's tryst with her new friend in Cassandra's apartment doesn't end well either. In between, a desperate Shannon tries to talk to her friends about her family problems, but falls on deaf ears. As the foursome go their separate ways for three days, they have no idea that they have inadvertently become the focus of a jewel heist that will end up bringing them back together in a roundabout way. In best pulp fiction fashion,

4.3.2.1. attempts to tell a cool story from different points of view that are cleverly interwoven and brought together at the end. Director Noel Clarke, whose acting credits include the first seasons of the Doctor Who remake, tries his best to keep the viewer entertained. With a mixture of comedy and drama, sex and violence and some guest stars worth seeing like cult director Kevin Smith, singer Eve or actor Mandy Patinkin (Criminal Minds), a quite respectable film has been created, which however has some clear weaknesses in content and staging.

So the idea of telling the events of the three days from the point of view of each of the four girls is in itself very good. Because since the stories are very different, the entertainment value remains relatively high throughout. However, it also makes it very obvious how constructed the connections within the individual stories are. Especially the storyline about Kerry and her friend is relatively unnecessary. It just comes across as if Clarke was merely looking for a justification to show the two attractive young ladies in the most erotic togetherness possible. Granted, a certain aspect of this plot line is very important to the finale. But it's not enough for the entire 20 minutes spent on Kerry's and her story.

In contrast, Joanne's experiences at the supermarket and Cassandra's trip to New York are extremely entertaining and could have easily been looked at in more detail. But the bottom line is that Clarke's production sets a suitably paced pace that makes it hard to get bored. The biggest problem the film struggles with is that it would like to be cooler than it actually is. The dialogue is far from the cleverness of a Quentin Tarantino and even the young actresses seem a little out of their depth at times.

However, this is hardly noticeable in a negative way. Its rather young target audience, the film offers both good entertainment, a coherent soundtrack and also still enough food for the eye to guarantee an enjoyable DVD evening. Certainly not a masterpiece, but a work with a lot of potential and some very amusing moments. Worth seeing!

Image + Sound: The image is very clean and the overall sharpness is convincing at most moments. Coloring is appropriate for the individual stories and contrast is also at a good level. The sound seems a bit more harmonious in the original English version, as the German dialogue sounds a bit more front mixed. For this, the German soundtrack comes overall a little more powerful from the boxes, which gives a good overall picture on balance.

Extras: Except for the trailer for the film and other program tips from the provider, the DVD unfortunately has no bonus material to offer.

Conclusion: 4.3.2.1. is an amusing contribution to the topic of girl power, which has some lengths and can not always live up to its claims. But on balance, the intricately told story, the attractive actresses and also the numerous nice guest appearances can provide enough entertainment for a whimsical DVD evening. Only the lack of any extras is somewhat negative. Nevertheless, there is still a: Recommendable!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp