tohu777 The first reel of this film is very deceiving: you might well think that it's a kind of dramedy, a clichéd story of a do-gooder yuppie activist expanding his horizons and finding his humanity through an acquaintance with a very quirky homeless man. But it's absolutely nothing of the sort. To judge by interviews with BBC producers, the director, and writer Alexander Masters, the final film matches the intentions they had from the start, to make something that wasn't easy and which captured this man Stuart Shorter in all his complexity.Master's script is really compelling & tight. But it's the actors who drive the film: Benedict Cumberbatch and Tom Hardy together, more often than not in fairly tight sets merely talking. They were already both masters, back when this was filmed. Tom Hardy's role here bears a vague resemblance to his work in Nicolas Refn's film Bronson; though I'd say that this film is even bleaker and more harrowing than Refn's. The eruption of Stuart's pain and self- hate is shocking, and Hardy doesn't ever hold back. The performance compares well to that of Robin Williams' in The Fisher King. In both cases, the actor enters a state that shocks you into concern for them rather than sitting in admiration of a modulated performance. This is an incredibly bleak and brutal film, without the comfort of its having been a fiction.

angelofvic This BBC movie is fabulous. It's a true story, based on the book of the same title. Tom Hardy is Stuart Shorter, a gifted but troubled homeless man.Benedict Cumberbatch is author Alexander Masters, who accidentally befriends him and finds him delightful company.This is a must-see for fans of either of those actors. Unexpected, real, quirky, funny, touching, and weird or occasionally disturbing, but not excessively so. Mainly fascinating.It's very well acted, and a moving film.The film unfolds in a fascinating way, and is easy to follow and understand, while at the same time being very moving. Definitely worth seeking out and viewing!

Sonja Hagemann I would like to chime in with all the other positive reviews. This is a great film, rough and realistic yet also warmhearted and funny. Tom Hardy's performance as criminal homeless Stuart is magnificent. The usually so intense Benedict Cumberbatch pales in comparison, but that's probably intended, as his character, Alexander, is more of an observer and witness. I recommend this telefilm (which can be found on youtube) to everybody, but as there are different sensibilities when it comes to movies, be warned – you will be confronted with bad language, violence, crime, full frontal nudeness and references to sex. The "black mist"-scene with the knifes deeply upset me, but the scene in which it is finally made clear what really went on in Stuart's childhood home was even more disturbing and still haunts me, although it's much less explicit. To me this picture based on real facts is a must see and gives a lot of food for thought.

lester diamond This is the first time I've commented on IMDb but this film deserves to be seen by more people so I thought I'd give it another positive review. To begin with I thought Tom Hardy, who played Stuart, turned in an excellent performance and I'm sure we'll see plenty more from him in the future. Despite being a knife-wielding, psychopathic, booze hound even from the beginning, I felt empathy for his character, its hard not to. All of the acting is as good as the script allows but Hardys performance just shines through. However its really the story, told backwards, thats the reason this is such a enchanting film. Having read the book a couple of days ago i can also add this film, refreshingly, is very true to, and just as good as, the book. I've no idea if it was on TV or has been released on DVD, but if you get the chance watch this film, its thought provoking, heart wrenching, enthralling, funny, stomach churning, touching and it will be an eye opener to a lot of people.WATCH THIS FILM!