Henry & Julie - DVD

Movie: The life of Henry (Keanu Reeves), a lowly clerk at a toll booth, runs along very regular, one might almost say boring, lines. But that changes when he gets involved in a bank robbery by an old buddy (Fisher Stevens). Although Henry was completely ignorant at the wheel of the getaway car, when he gets caught he takes the blame and goes to jail without revealing the names of the actual bank robbers. After three years in prison, he is released. Now Henry decides to start a whole new life. He wants to start by actually carrying out the bank robbery for which he served an innocent sentence. His former cellmate Max (James Caan) is supposed to help him. A long forgotten tunnel, which was dug between a theater and the bank during the prohibition, should bring the two into the vault. So Henry unceremoniously gets himself hired as an actor in order to gain unobtrusive access to the tunnel entrance. But then he falls in love with his stubborn fellow actor Julie (Vera Farmiga), who soon unwittingly becomes his accomplice. Then, when Henry's old bank robber buddy shows up looking for a piece of the big pie, the plan threatens to fall apart for good.

British filmmaker and photographer Malcolm Venville's second feature Henry & Julie - The Gangster and the Diva is a charming gangster comedy with a quiet sense of humour and endearing characters. Keanu Reeves proves to be ideally cast in the role of the quiet, slightly naive Henry. His pared down facial expressions, for which Reeves has often taken criticism, are a perfect fit for the lovable character. And the moment Henry makes his first rather wooden attempts on the theatrical stage, you can't help but think that he's acting with a fair amount of self-mockery here.

Aside the Matrix star, Vera Farmiga (Up in the Air, The Departed) shines, providing some of the film's most amusing moments as the constantly ranting, very sure of herself yet somehow very charming Julie. Although Henry and Julie are completely opposite characters - he calm and level-headed, she loud and bubbly - you buy into the romance developing between them. The fact that this romance is a bit emotional but not cheesy towards the end is not only due to the good staging but also to the convincing acting of the two actors.

The acting of Keanu Reeves and Vera Farmiga is complemented by the once again wonderful James Caan (The Godfather), who is at his absolute best in some scenes as a con who doesn't want to be released from prison. It's just a lot of fun to watch this great ensemble. The good actors, the amusing story and the restrained staging make Henry & Julie - The Gangster and the Diva a more than recommendable home cinema premiere, which is by far superior in quality to many films that make it to the big screen. Worth seeing!

Picture + Sound: Since only a data-reduced press sample was available for the test, no rating can be given here about the final picture and sound quality. But since the press sample already leaves a good impression - especially with the sound - can also be assumed a good technical implementation in the final DVD.

Extras: As a bonus there are only some trailers to see.

Conclusion: Henry & Julie - The Gangster and the Diva is an entertaining gangster comedy that scores with original characters, good actors and a nice story. The humour is pleasantly understated and the production relaxed and extremely charming. A home movie premiere that proves once again that good movies don't necessarily make it to the cinema. If you like small comedies of the more sedate kind, this is a film not to be missed. Worth seeing

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp