Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.5

Mr. Nice Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov May 15, 2011

Screened at the Edinburgh Film Festival, Bernard Rose's "Mr. Nice" (2010) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Entertainment One. The supplemental features on the disc include two audio commentaries, one with director Rose, and another with the famous drug dealer Howard Marks; making of featurette; cast and crew interviews; deleted scenes; and more. In English, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

Testing the product

I did not know who Howard Marks was prior to seeing Bernard Rose’s Mr. Nice. I am unsure if I should have, but half of Wales probably thinks otherwise. Apparently, the man is something of national hero there, which is quite strange, considering that during the late 70s and 80s he controlled approximately 10% of the world’s hashish trade.

Marks (Rhys Ifans, The Boat That Rocked, Mr. Nobody) was a smart guy. He entered Oxford University as a graduate student hoping to get a degree and land a good job but instead discovered marijuana, LSD, and free love. For awhile he was in heaven. Then a friend (Jack Huston, Factory Girl, Outlander) asked him to help bring home a car full or product. He did and the world suddenly opened up for him.

A Pakistani businessman (Omid Djalili, The Love Guru, The Infidel) told Marks that he can deliver any amount of hashish as long as someone would get it into the country. In the beginning Marks doubted him, but the businessman wasn’t lying. A couple of months later, Marks and Jim McCann (David Thewlis, Gangster No. 1, Kingdom of Heaven), a top IRA guy who could get anything through customs, became partners. McCann was so impressed with the profits that at one point he even offered to supply planes.

An old friend (Christian McKay, You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger) who had landed a job with MI6 also approached Marks with an interesting offer – if Marks agreed to provide the agency with good information about McCann and his comrades, they would offer him a type of protection that even some of the country’s prominent politicians did not have. Marks immediately agreed. Of course, the MI6 agent had no idea what type of business his friend was running.

The girl (Chloë Sevigny, Boys Don't Cry, American Psycho) Marks was seeing, however, knew exactly what her lover was doing - which is why when one of his partners explained to him how much more they could make if they were to expand into the good ol’ U.S. of A., she begged him to stay home and work with the people he knew. But Marks ignored her advice, and instead befriended an ambitious businessman (Crispin Glover, Wild at Heart, The Doors) from California who was looking for a reliable supplier.

Once Marks set foot on American soil, luck turned its back on him. He lost a large shipment worth millions of dollars; then the DEA and CIA went after him. MI6 also finally figured out what he was doing and made it clear that they were no longer interested in his services. In 1980, after years of living under a false identity in Spain, Marks was captured and extradited to the United States. He was sentenced to 25 years in jail.

Marks apparently made some brilliant decisions during the 60s and 70s, but the film does not make it perfectly clear whether he was a visionary businessman or an incredibly lucky guy who simply met the right guys with the right contacts. If anything, the film’s quasi-jokey tone implies that he was very much in love with the products he was selling.

The accuracy issue aside, the performances are great. Ifans is outstanding as the ambitious Welshman who at one point apparently believed that the sky truly is the limit. His monologues, in particular, are absolutely hilarious. Sevigny is somewhat underused but also convincing. Thewlis is perfect as the IRA lunatic who fell in love with the drugs and forgot about the cause.

Note: Last year, the film was screened at the Edinburgh Film Festival.

Mr. Nice Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Bernard Rose's Mr. Nice arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Entertainment One.

The high-definition transfer is one of the very best I have seen used by the British distributors -- fine object detail is terrific, while clarity and contrast levels are consistently pleasing. The close-ups convey outstanding depth. The various panoramic vistas from Pakistan and later on the U.S. also look excellent. The film's color-scheme fluctuates as the story progresses, but the variety of grays, blues, greens, yellows, reds, and blacks are always lush and well saturated (there are a couple of B&W segments that look gritty and somewhat worn out but the effect is indeed intentional). Edge-enhancement is never a serious issue of concern; neither is macroblocking. Artifacts and banding also do not plague the transfer. I did not see any traces of heavy noise reduction either. Lastly, there are absolutely no stability issues to report in this review whatsoever. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).

Mr. Nice Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and English LPCM 2.0 (with portions of Spanish). For the record, Entertainment One have provided optional English subtitles for the main feature.

The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is very strong. It is unlikely to test the muscles of your audio system, but you will appreciate its wide range of nuanced dynamics (in particular, there are a couple of tracks by Deep Purple and John Lennon that get a decent boost). The dialog is crisp, clean, stable, and easy to follow. I also did not detect any disturbing pops, cracks, hissings, or audio dropouts to report in this review.

Mr. Nice Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Interviews - cast and crew members discuss the production history of the film. The real Howard Marks also comments on the film and Rhys Ifans' performance. In English, not subtitled.
  
  -- Rhys Ifans (8 min)
  -- Chloe Sevigny (5 min)
  -- David Thewlis (3 min)
  -- Director Bernard Rose (6 min)
  -- Producer Luc Roeg (3 min).
  -- Howard Marks (4 min)

• Making of - a standard featurette with raw footage from the shooting of the film in Spain and Whales. In English, not subtitled. (13 min, PAL).

• Howard & Rhys on Stage - Howard Marks and Rhys Ifans appear together after the shooting of the famous stage scene in Bristol, UK. In English, not subtitled. (4 min, PAL).

• Deleted Scenes - two deleted scenes. In English, not subtitled. (3 min, 1080p).

• Audio Commentary - a hilarious audio commentary with Howard Marks. The famous drug dealer talks about his past, his triumphs and failures, Rhys Ifans' performance, etc.

• Audio Commentary - an audio commentary with director Bernard Rose.

Mr. Nice Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I enjoyed Bernard Rose's Mr. Nice quite a lot. Its story isn't terribly original, but Rhys Ifans is absolutely hilarious as the notorious Welsh drug dealer Howard Marks. The Blu-ray discs herein reviewed, courtesy of British distributors Entertainment One, looks and sounds terrific. The disc also contains a very interesting audio commentary with Marks. RECOMMENDED.