Johnny Was

Colour, 35 mm
United Kingdom, 2005, 90 min
IP – International premiere
Section: Horizons

Synopsis

There have been many films about the conflict in Northern Ireland – and half of them depict melancholic tough guys persecuted by memories, the police and former accomplices. None of them, however, has brought together in front of the camera a former football pro who is now scoring goals in Hollywood (Vinnie Jones as Johnny), a triple world champion heavyweight boxer (Lennox Lewis as Raz) and lead singer of The Who (Roger Daltrey as Jimmy). And none of them could boast a stunning reggae soundtrack put together by legendary producer Adrian Sherwood. Debuting director Mark Hammond struck it lucky in his choice of teammates and has come up with a film which is a joy to watch – even if it’s clear from the beginning that the main character will ending up taking the flack for his old-fashioned sense of honour and justice...

About the director

Mark Hammond is a man of many professions: apart from his film and TV work, he is also a recognised stage director (his staging of Vice Verso, a production where the “main role” is played by the Argentinian tango, recently won rave reviews all over the United States). Hammond has been involved in film for over twenty years, chiefly as a producer. This initiator of a whole series of international coproductions is responsible for a number of documentaries for Australia’s ABC Channel, Canada’s CBC and Britain’s Channel 4, among others. During the 1990s he also put on his director’s cap and made several short films (Dead Witness, 1996; Leave Taking, 1998; Butterfield, 2001). If we don’t count his direction of the film sequences in the video game Stolen Song, featuring Japanese rock star Tomoyasu Hotei, the film Johnny Was, screened in Karlovy Vary, is Hammond’s feature film debut.