Mr. Nice

The fact that one can become a legend even with a less than exemplary lifestyle, Howard Marks aka Mr. Nice can tell you a thing or two. 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 cinema entertainment should not miss this film. Despite small lengths: Absolutely worth seeing!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp