Mr. Nice - DVD

Film: That one can become a legend even with a not exactly exemplary lifestyle, Howard Marks aka Mr. Nice can tell you a thing or two about it. Drug lord and informer for MI6, highly gifted Oxford graduate and convicted criminal. Public enemy and best-selling author. Howard Marks is all of these things, and his autobiographical bestseller has now been congenially filmed by Bernard Rose (Ludwig van B., Candyman's Curse).

With a superb Rhys Ifans in the title role, Mr. Nice traces the career of Howard Marks in an amusing and engaging way. If his everyday life as a straight-A student and as a freshman was still gray, suddenly color comes into Howard's life one night in the dorms, as he discovers drugs for himself. But the wonderful trip is short-lived: when one of his friends dies, Howard keeps his hands off drugs and prefers to concentrate on his studies. Years later, Howard is a teacher with his partner, living a clean-cut life. But soon drugs again take an important part in his life. In no time at all, he establishes himself as one of the most successful drug mules in the country. Soon Howard is expanding his empire with the help of the IRA. But when he also tries to conquer the American market, he gets into the first trouble.

Admittedly, Mr. Nice does not really deal critically with the criminal lifestyle of its main character. However, this is only slightly disturbing, since the whole thing is told from the point of view of Howard Marks. And his point of view doesn't necessarily coincide with the one of the investigators who have been following him during his criminal career, or with the common morals of the average moviegoer. But it should not be believed now that drug trafficking and consumption is really glorified here. Sure, especially with the clever use of black and white shots and color at the beginning of the film, one might get the impression that drugs are something quite wonderful. But if you look closely, you'll definitely be able to see that the film doesn't hide the fact that drugs destroy people's lives and haven't just had a positive impact on Howard Marks' life either.

Purely in terms of craftsmanship, Mr. Nice is just great. The cast, led by Rhys Ifans and a delightfully over-the-top David Thewlis (Harry Potter), breathe life into their real-life role models with a slight wink. Plus, the way Rose has copied his actors into real footage from the roaring '70s makes for some very nice moments. Sure, a little more attention to detail here and there would have been appreciated. For instance, one scene set in Germany features a sign that has been extremely amateurishly translated into a German that doesn't really exist. Overall, however, the equipment and the color scheme let the 70s very authentic revive.

With its somewhat wacky humor, which occasionally overshoots the mark, Mr. Nice always walks off the beaten mainstream paths. However, this also makes the flick a little more difficult to access for some viewers. But there is nothing to shake about the quality of this extraordinary biography. Well acted, entertainingly staged and accompanied by a spherical soundtrack by minimalist composer Philip Glass, the life of Howard Marcks proves to be quite suitable for cinema. Those who have read the biography or are generally interested in more offbeat entertainment should not miss this film. Despite minor lengths, the following applies: absolutely worth seeing!

Picture + Sound: The clean picture is particularly pleasing due to its atmospheric coloring and pleasant sharpness of detail. In some outdoor shots there are minor weaknesses to discover, but this may be due to the fact that for this sometimes old footage of the respective location has been used. As for the sound, the dialogue and music are very harmoniously matched, the mix sounds powerful, but rarely leaves the front area and is then filled with a little dynamism by purposefully used ambient noises or smaller sound effects. There are only marginal differences between the German Dolby Digital 5.1 mix and the dts track, however. Overall, this gets a well-deserved: good!

Extras: The single-disc edition of the DVD has two audio commentaries to offer in addition to the trailer for the film. The first was narrated by Howard Marks himself. Marks provides a very worn commentary on the action with some lengthy pauses. What makes the commentary nevertheless very interesting is that he does not so much comment on the making of the film, but enriches the whole thing with many additional details and anecdotes. The second commentary was delivered by director Bernard Rose, who chats far more chirpily about his work, explaining many of the content and technical decisions. Two commentaries worth hearing and interesting, though they have not been subtitled. Especially for the commentary of Howard Marks very good English skills are mandatory, as he speaks his comments but a little mumbled into the microphone.

The film is also released in a 2-disc edition, which has more extensive bonus material to offer on a bonus DVD.

Conclusion: Mr. Nice is a superbly acted and entertainingly directed biography of an unusual man who went from model student to drug kingpin to criminal to best-selling author. The DVD is technically well done and has two good audio commentaries on board as a bonus. Who wants more extras, must reach for the slightly more expensive Special Edition

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp