THREE AND OUT

"Don't you know the company policy?"

Paul Callow (Cook) was having a really bad month. Through no fault of his own he had accidentally hit two people with his train but when his colleagues told him that if he hit another person in the same month, London Underground would retire him and pay him ten years wages, Paul saw this as his chance to change his life. All he needed to find was someone who wanted to commit suicide and he found that in Tommy Cassidy (Meaney). With three days before he returned to work, Paul asked Tommy if there was anything he would like to do before that fateful collision with the train but he never expected that he would like to make amends with his family and what affect they would have on him.

British movies are coming back to prominence around the world and it is in the genre of comedy that they are setting the box office alight buy can 'Three and Out' continue that trend?

The British sense of humour has always appealed to cinema audiences around the world. The success of comedians like the Monty Python team, Dudley Moore, Peter Cook, Peter Sellers, Hugh Laurie, Eddie Izzard, Billy Connelly, to name but a few has trail blazed for a new generation of comic talent from Great Britain. On the back of this talent, the British film industry has flourished producing romantic comedies and comedic films that have been successes all around the world. Films like 'A Fish Called Wanda', 'The Life of Brian', 'Four Wedding and a Funeral', 'Snatch', 'Notting Hill', 'Bridget Jones' Diary' and more recently 'Hot Fuzz', 'Shaun of the Dead', 'Son of Rambow' and 'In Bruges' have seen a renaissance of British comedy, making these films just as anticipated and successful as anything that Hollywood has to offer. It is just a shame that 'Three and Out' can't keep up that trend.

The main problem is that the premise isn't that appealing. The movie is about a London Underground tube driver who has an awful run of bad luck, accidentally running over two people with his train but when his colleagues tell him that if he hits another person in the same calendar month, the company will retire him and pay him ten years salary, he decides to look for a suicidal person to make that happen. This means that the film has a very dark premise but it isn't executed in that dark comedy way that British films do really well. Instead we are treated to more of a light hearted comedy about the suicidal man trying to life live to the full for his last weekend and the train driver struggling with his guilt of asking him to do this terrible act but discovering a new lease of life himself. This might be all life affirming stuff but it doesn't mean to say that it is funny.

Another problem with the film is the casting of the leading man. There is not denying that McKenzie Cook is a talented comedic actor. All you have to do it look at his performances in the awarding winning TV show 'The Office' and his appearances in the 'Pirates of Caribbean' trilogy to know this but this does not make him leading man material. As Paul Callow, the unlucky tube driver, he spends most of the movie sulking, with the character just coming across as greedy and unsympathetic. For an actor with a little more charm and on-screen personality, this may have been fine but McKenzie Cook really doesn't have these attributes, thus making Paul a character who you don't really want to succeed. Saving the movie from complete disaster is the performance of Colm Meaney as Tommy Cassidy. This is a man who has nothing left to loose but wants to make amends for the hurt he has caused in his life to his wife and especially daughter. Meaney is an exceptional actor and one that commands your attention every time he graces the screen. The same can be said of Imelda Staunton, but her character Rosemary is very underused. Gemma Arterton also makes a big impression as Tommy's rebellious daughter Frankie, showing that she is about to become the next English Rose of the silver screen.

'Three and Out' is a major disappointment. With a premise that doesn't really work, a leading man who isn't charismatic enough to keep you involved and a complete lack of laugh out loud moments, this is a British comedy that fails to deliver. With only Colm Meaney and Imelda Staunton saving the film from been a complete disaster, 'Three and Out' is a movie that should have been made for television and not for the big screen.

PICTURE & SOUND

Presented in Widescreen 1.85:1 Anamorphic with a Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack, the transfer is good.

BONUS FEATURES

Making of (25.41 mins)
Director Jonathan Gershfield and stars Mackenzie Cook, Colm Meaney and Gemma Arterton take you behind the scenes of the making of 'Three and Out'. The group talk about the story, their characters and filming in London and the Lake District. This is a decent behind the scenes featurette, were the cast and crew offer some decent insights into the making of a British low budget film.

Deleted Scenes
Entitled 'I hit a Nun!', 'A bridge too far', 'Don't be afraid of my penis', 'Can I get his car keys', 'I'll pick you up on the way back', 'Who is it you're looking for?', 'I just thought maybe I could look in?', 'I don't know have any answers for you Rose', 'She never killed him yet!' and 'More than you deserve', these deleted scenes suffer from the lack a commentary track or introduction to explain why they were removed.

Trailers
Watch the teaser and full trailer for 'Three and Out'

Alternative Credits (2.49 mins)
Watch an alternative montage that would have accompanied the end credits.

Cast and Crew
Biographies Read biographies on all the main cast members and the crew

OVERALL

The DVD treatment for 'Three and Out' is ok. The 'making of' featurette is good and the deleted scenes are fine but the lack of a commentary track is disappointing. This will please fans of the movie.

DVD

Sex Lives of the Potato Men

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2008