HotToastyRag If you look up the film Shiner on IMDb, you'll see a one-sentence plot description: "The past catches up to a ruthlessly ambitious boxing promoter." Whoever wrote that was very careful to not give away any surprises in the plot, but also didn't really tell potential audiences what the film was truly about. Michael Caine does play a ruthless boxing promoter, in full Cockney splendor, but there's a lot more to the film.Michael Caine is preparing for a boxing fight at the start of the movie. He's particularly tense, and is even making grand preparations for a victory party afterwards. His son, Matthew Marsden, is his fighter, so everything has to be perfect. Scott Cherry's script and John Irvin's direction provide a very ominous environment; it's pretty obvious to the audience that Matthew is going to lose the fight. The hype is too great, and Michael is counting too much on it. The intense foreshadowing doesn't go unrealized.Michael Caine's acting makes the film work. He's shown as a brutal gangster in the first part of the film, but as soon as he's in the same frame as his son, he turns into a completely different person. He's emotional and tender, so the audience can see he where his passion truly lies. Without spoiling plot points, there are a couple of scenes when events take very wrong turns, and Michael's acting is truly heartbreaking. In those scenes, audiences forget the scary, gangster side of him and see him as an ordinary, bereft man. I won't tell you what happens, but I must caution you before you watch this movie. It's not a boxing movie. It's a pretty upsetting film that parents will find extremely difficult to get through. If you're not used to gritty violence, you might want to try something else.As a side note, Andy Serkis plays one of Michael Caine's underlings, and he's one of the most frightening thugs I've ever seen. If I saw him in a dark alley at night—or even in broad daylight at the mall—I'd be scared out of my mind. Thankfully, I'd previously seen him in 13 Going on 30 so I'm not scarred for life.Kiddy Warning: Obviously, you have control over your own children. However, due to gritty violence and nudity, I wouldn't let my kids watch it.DLM warning: If you suffer from vertigo or dizzy spells, like my mom does, this movie might not be your friend. The very first and very last scenes have a hand-held and swirling camera, and it will probably make you sick. In other words, "Don't Look, Mom!"

Leofwine_draca SHINER is one of those movies which seems to have been rushed into production in the wake of the success of the Guy Ritchie hits LOCK, STOCK, AND TWO SMOKING BARRELS and SNATCH. It stars Michael Caine as a down-on-his-luck boxing promoter desperate for one last win, a man who finds himself on a wrong side of a number of enemies he's ended up crossing during the course of the movie.For a British film, the cast is second to none. Caine gives a faultless and sympathetic performance in the leading role, despite the deficits of his character. Kenneth Cranham shows up in a rather shrill role, and there's a meaty party for a youthful, pre-fame Andy Serkis. Martin Landau is the barely-glimpsed American import, Matthew Marsden (RAMBO) plays Caine's son, and the reliable Danny Webb (ALIEN 3) is on hand as a slimy lawyer.The narrative is fast-paced, certainly, but also loaded with many, many plot holes. It's one of those films that makes sense on the surface but which makes no sense if you actually stop to think about it. Characters do things just to service the plot and none of it is even remotely realistic. It's a pity, because with better writing and direction, this could and should have been up there with the best this genre has to offer; as it stands, it's a bit of a mess.

paul2001sw-1 Michael Caine plays very much to type in this film about a tough East-End boxing promoter. The film, which is not, it quickly becomes apparent, a sports movie (the only fight scene comes early and is deliberately anticlimactic), but it seems to be struggling to decide what exactly it is. In part, it is the story of the death of a dream; but in part, it is a thriller and these two parts don't really get on. The thriller element is weakened by the fact that because we only see the story of Caine's character's decline, we have no way to judge what malign forces may be behind it; but in fact, there is plenty of material to explain his fall without requiring a sinister plot, and so the thriller obscures the portrait of a man. In fact, the resulting hybrid is so anaemic as a whole that it almost feels stylised, I don't think intentionally, but there's a flatness that gives the movie a feel of its own, albeit not a successful one. Yet there are some interesting ideas behind the plot; it's a shame they're so poorly worked out.

MrCustard Michael Caine (as Billy Simpson) plays a mean, tough as nails SOB as only he can. Billy is not a likable character by any stretch but a man who can't take your eyes off of. One of Caine's better recent performances. Good supporting roles by his two henchmen, Mel and Stoney, add to the real world grit of this movie. In fact, all the performances in this film ring true and grounded in reality. This movie is well worth your time.