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The Parole Officer

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The Parole Officer
The Parole Officer.jpg
Theatrical poster, featuring supposed quotations from other Coogan comedy characters.
Directed byJohn Duigan
Written bySteve Coogan
Henry Normal
Produced byDuncan Kenworthy
Andrew Macdonald
Starring
CinematographyJohn Daly
Edited byDavid Freeman
Music byAlex Heffes
Production
companies
DNA Films
Film Council[1]
Figment Films[1]
Toledo Pictures[1]
Distributed byUniversal Pictures (through United International Pictures)
Release date
10 August 2001
Running time
93 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Budget£6 million[citation needed]

The Parole Officer is a 2001 British comedy film, directed by John Duigan. The film follows a diverse group of former criminals as they assist their probation officer in proving his innocence after a murder accusation.

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Comedy film

Comedy film

A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through the amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending. Comedy is one of the oldest genres in the film—and derived from the classical comedy in theatre. Some of the earliest silent films were comedies, as slapstick comedy often relies on visual depictions, without requiring sound. To provide drama and excitement to movies, live music was played in sync with the action on the screen, by pianos, organs, and other instruments. When sound films became more prevalent during the 1920s, comedy films grew in popularity, as laughter could result from burlesque situations but now also dialogue.

John Duigan

John Duigan

John Duigan is an Australian film director and screenwriter. He is mostly known for his two autobiographical films The Year My Voice Broke and Flirting, and the 1994 film Sirens, which stars Hugh Grant.

Murder

Murder

Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification or valid excuse, especially the unlawful killing of another human with malice aforethought. This state of mind may, depending upon the jurisdiction, distinguish murder from other forms of unlawful homicide, such as manslaughter. Manslaughter is killing committed in the absence of malice, brought about by reasonable provocation, or diminished capacity. Involuntary manslaughter, where it is recognized, is a killing that lacks all but the most attenuated guilty intent, recklessness.

Plot

Simon Garden is a well-meaning but ineffectual probation officer. At the beginning of the film, he is facing a tribunal after all of his colleagues in his department in Blackpool submit complaints against him, Garden having had only three successes in his career. He is transferred to Manchester. He has hypoglycemia and regularly eats crisps to deal with it.

In Manchester, he starts his new role and meets an attractive WPC, Emma. While looking into the case of a "client", Kirsty, a juvenile delinquent who had had Class A drugs planted on her, Simon witnesses the murder of an accountant by corrupt police officer Detective Inspector Burton. He is discovered, chased from the building by two bouncers and after being cornered, ends up falling into a canal. He has inadvertently left his wallet containing identification at the crime scene and is duly framed for the accountant's murder by DI Burton. Simon goes to the police with the story, but ends up being interviewed by Burton, who is leading the investigation. He releases Simon, but threatens him with prison unless he keeps quiet about the officer's drugs scam and the murder.

Simon first decides to leave Manchester for good and, feeling down, rejects the offer of a meal from Emma. While away from the city, he walks past a shop where the TV in the window happens to be showing an interview with Burton, who will be receiving a bravery award. It triggers his memory of the murder – he realises that a CCTV camera had filmed the whole event. He realises that this security tape will clear his name and show that Burton was the real murderer. He returns to the club where the murder took place to try to find the tape, only to discover that it has been taken to a bank and placed in a safety deposit box. Simon sets out to round up his four successful ex-clients. He visits George in Blackpool and convinces him to join the plan. They recruit Jeff, who has been working as a fishmonger, and Colin, who has been working in a computer shop. They visit the home of the former master-criminal Viktor, only to find his wife and his grave; his wife takes them to Viktor's secret underground workshop and says they can take whatever equipment they want from his extensive selection of technology and safe-cracking kit.

The team gathers in Simon's house and they set out to devise a cunning plan to retrieve the tape from the bank. One evening they find that Kirsty, Simon's first client when he started his new job in Manchester, has broken in and is attempting to steal his television. When she sees what they are doing, she asks to join the gang to rob the bank, but Simon says she is too young. They tell her she has to leave but she convinces them that she will be small enough to slip through a vent that someone needs to access as part of their heist plan. The team members train together, organise equipment, deploy a computer virus, and invent a GOTLER (George-operated time-lock equalising robot). Over time they bond as a group, have fun together, and formulate their plan. However, one night, DI Burton and several police officers (including Emma) search the house for the head of the murdered accountant. DI Burton has obviously planted it in Simon's house and, despite Kirsty's attempt to dispose of it, manages to frame Simon and the others: they are arrested, and end up in a police cell. Kirsty is taken away by the police, but manages to slip away from them at a garage. Simon tries to explain to Emma about the plan to clear his name but, because she feels that he has hidden things from her, she is reluctant to listen. Simon, George, Colin, and Jeff are in their cell wondering what to do when the back of a van crashes through the wall – it is Kirsty, who has stolen a van and is rescuing them. They jump in and speed off with Kirsty at the wheel, determined to try to get to the bank and put the plan into action.

Once there, they sneak on to the roof, activate all of Manchester's alarms, and climb into the building. Simon uses the robot to activate the door, and they grab the tape. A man in disguise, who is apparently Victor, turns up, but the group is collecting money as well, before he vanishes. Once the job is done, the group flees from the bank. They finally arrive at the town hall, where DI Burton is earning a bravery award for saving Kirsty from a burning car earlier in the film. Despite being attacked by Burton's sidekicks, Simon finally proves his innocence by revealing the tape to the public, and Burton is arrested. Amidst the celebrations, Simon and Emma link with each other and kiss.

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Blackpool

Blackpool

Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, between the Ribble and Wyre rivers, and is 27 miles (43 km) north of Liverpool and 40 miles (64 km) northwest of Manchester. At the 2011 census, the unitary authority of Blackpool had an estimated population of 139,720 while the urban settlement had a population of 147,663, making it the most populous settlement in Lancashire, and the fifth-most populous in North West England after Manchester, Liverpool, Bolton and Warrington. The wider built-up area had a population of 239,409, making it the fifth-most populous urban area in the North West after the Manchester, Liverpool, Preston and Birkenhead areas. It is home to the Blackpool Tower, which when built in 1894 was the tallest building in the British Empire.

Manchester

Manchester

Manchester is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in the 2021 United Kingdom census. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The two cities and the surrounding towns form one of the United Kingdom's most populous conurbations, the Greater Manchester Built-up Area, which has a population of 2.87 million.

Hypoglycemia

Hypoglycemia

Hypoglycemia, also called low blood sugar, is a fall in blood sugar to levels below normal, typically below 70 mg/dL (3.9 mmol/L). Whipple's triad is used to properly identify hypoglycemic episodes. It is defined as blood glucose below 70 mg/dL (3.9 mmol/L), symptoms associated with hypoglycemia, and resolution of symptoms when blood sugar returns to normal. Hypoglycemia may result in headache, tiredness, clumsiness, trouble talking, confusion, fast heart rate, sweating, shakiness, nervousness, hunger, loss of consciousness, seizures, or death. Symptoms typically come on quickly.

Canal

Canal

Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management or for conveyancing water transport vehicles. They carry free, calm surface flow under atmospheric pressure, and can be thought of as artificial rivers.

Closed-circuit television

Closed-circuit television

Closed-circuit television (CCTV), also known as video surveillance, is the use of video cameras to transmit a signal to a specific place, on a limited set of monitors. It differs from broadcast television in that the signal is not openly transmitted, though it may employ point-to-point (P2P), point-to-multipoint (P2MP), or mesh wired or wireless links. Even though almost all video cameras fit this definition, the term is most often applied to those used for surveillance in areas that require additional security or ongoing monitoring.

Cast

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Om Puri

Om Puri

Om Prakash Puri was an Indian actor who appeared in mainstream commercial Hindi films as well as Bengali, Kannada, English, Punjabi and one Telugu film, as well as independent and art films and also starred in several international cinema. He is widely regarded as one of the finest actors in the Indian cinema. He won two National Film Awards for Best Actor, two Filmfare Awards and India's fourth highest civilian award Padma Shri in 1990. In 2004, he was made an honorary Officer of the Order of the British Empire.

Ben Miller

Ben Miller

Bennet Evan Miller is an English actor, comedian, and author. He rose to fame as one half of the comedy duo Armstrong and Miller. Miller is also known for playing the lead role of DI Richard Poole in the first two series of the BBC crime drama Death in Paradise, and for portraying James Lester in the ITV science-fiction series Primeval.

Emma Williams (actress)

Emma Williams (actress)

Emma Williams is an English actor of stage, screen, TV and radio. She has been nominated four times for an Olivier Award.

Lena Headey

Lena Headey

Lena Kathren Headey is a British actress. She gained international recognition and acclaim for her portrayal of Cersei Lannister on the HBO epic fantasy drama series Game of Thrones (2011–2019), for which she received five Primetime Emmy Award nominations and a Golden Globe Award nomination, and Queen Gorgo in 300 (2006).

John Henshaw

John Henshaw

John Joseph Henshaw is a British actor, best known for his roles as Ken Dixon the landlord in Early Doors, Wilf Bradshaw in Born and Bred and PC Roy Bramwell in The Cops. Often associated with characters who are "hard men", he played John Prescott in the 2007 ITV drama Confessions of a Diary Secretary.

Omar Sharif

Omar Sharif

Omar Sharif was an Egyptian actor, generally regarded as one of his country's greatest male film stars. He began his career in his native country in the 1950s, but is best known for his appearances in American, British, French, and Italian productions. His career encompassed over 100 films spanning 50 years, and brought him many accolades including three Golden Globe Awards and a César Award for Best Actor.

Jenny Agutter

Jenny Agutter

Jennifer Ann Agutter is a British actress. She began her career as a child actress in 1964, appearing in East of Sudan, Star!, and two adaptations of The Railway Children—the BBC's 1968 television serial and the 1970 film version. She also starred in the critically acclaimed film Walkabout and the TV film The Snow Goose, for which she won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama.

Julia Davis

Julia Davis

Julia Charlotte L. Davis is an English actress, comedian, director and writer. She is known for writing and starring in the BBC Three comedy Nighty Night (2004–2005) and the comedies Hunderby (2012–2015) and Camping (2016), which she also directed. Davis has been noted by critics for creating boundary-pushing black comedy that centres female anti-hero characters.

Jo-Anne Knowles

Jo-Anne Knowles

Jo-Anne Knowles is an English actress.

Iain McKee

Iain McKee

Iain McKee is an English actor best known for his role as Frank Gadney in BBC1 drama series Lilies and Michael in BBC sitcom The Visit. He is originally from Bolton and now lives in North London.

Bernard Wrigley

Bernard Wrigley

Bernard Wrigley is an English singer, actor and comedian. He is sometimes known by the nickname "The Bolton Bullfrog".

Hazel Douglas

Hazel Douglas

Hazel Douglas was an English actress. She portrayed Nagini in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1.

Production

Despite the film being set in Manchester, some of the filming took place in nearby Liverpool.[2][3] Notably, the bank in the film where the heist takes place is the former Bank of England building on Castle Street.[4]

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 57% based on reviews from 7 critics.[5] Most reviews favourably compared the film to Ealing Studios' heist comedies of the 1950s and 60s, although noted aspects of vulgarity.

For example, Philip French, writing in The Observer stated "The film is mildly amusing and more than competently acted [but] contains very little that's original and nothing that throws any light on contemporary life. Indeed, all that distinguishes Coogan's film from British heist pictures of the 1950s and 1960s is the vulgarity and excursions into grossness."[6] Similarly, Neil Smith, writing for BBC Movies online noted "What follows mixes the light-hearted antics of The Lavender Hill Mob with such high brow gags as Simon chundering on a roller-coaster or disposing of a phallus sculpture in a ladies' loo."

Derek Elley, writing the Variety was also complimentary, noting "Though much of the film revolves round the persona of Coogan...overall it's more of an ensemble piece than a one-man showcase, and better for it."[7]

Steve Coogan, said "Whenever I think of The Parole Officer, I squirm. And when someone says they like it, I think, "Really, why?" I'm pleased that they like it, but it's like a children's film."[8]

The film grossed £3.4 million in the United Kingdom.[9]

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Rotten Tomatoes

Rotten Tomatoes

Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang. Although the name "Rotten Tomatoes" connects to the practice of audiences throwing rotten tomatoes in disapproval of a poor stage performance, the original inspiration comes from a scene featuring tomatoes in the Canadian film Léolo (1992).

Ealing Studios

Ealing Studios

Ealing Studios is a television and film production company and facilities provider at Ealing Green in West London. Will Barker bought the White Lodge on Ealing Green in 1902 as a base for film making, and films have been made on the site ever since. It is the oldest continuously working studio facility for film production in the world, and the current stages were opened for the use of sound in 1931.

Philip French

Philip French

Philip Neville French OBE was an English film critic and radio producer. French began his career in journalism in the late 1950s, before eventually becoming a BBC Radio producer, and later a film critic. He began writing for The Observer in 1963, and continued to write criticism regularly there until his retirement in 2013.

The Observer

The Observer

The Observer is a British newspaper published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to The Guardian and The Guardian Weekly, whose parent company Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. First published in 1791, it is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.

The Lavender Hill Mob

The Lavender Hill Mob

The Lavender Hill Mob is a 1951 comedy film from Ealing Studios, written by T. E. B. Clarke, directed by Charles Crichton, starring Alec Guinness and Stanley Holloway and featuring Sid James and Alfie Bass. The title refers to Lavender Hill, a street in Battersea, a district in London SW11, near to Clapham Junction railway station.

Variety (magazine)

Variety (magazine)

Variety is an American media company owned by Penske Media Corporation. The company was founded by Sime Silverman in New York City in 1905 as a weekly newspaper reporting on theater and vaudeville. In 1933 it added Daily Variety, based in Los Angeles, to cover the motion-picture industry. Variety.com features entertainment news, reviews, box office results, cover stories, videos, photo galleries and features, plus a credits database, production charts and calendar, with archive content dating back to 1905.

Source: "The Parole Officer", Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, (2023, March 10th), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Parole_Officer.

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References
  1. ^ a b c "The Parole Officer (2001)". British Film Institute. Retrieved 21 May 2021.
  2. ^ Morrison, James (19 August 2001). "Liverpool gets new role as Hollywood of the north". The Independent. Archived from the original on 16 March 2009. Retrieved 16 February 2009.
  3. ^ "Film and TV". Liverpool City Council. Archived from the original on 8 December 2007. Retrieved 16 February 2008.
  4. ^ "Scouseland on the Silver Screen". BBC. Retrieved 16 February 2008.
  5. ^ "The Parole Officer". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
  6. ^ Philip French, Review in The Observer, Sunday 12 August 2001
  7. ^ Derek Elley, Review in Variety, 9 August 2001
  8. ^ Zoe Williams, "Steve Coogan Answers Your Questions" in The Guardian Online, Sunday 4 October 2015
  9. ^ Dawtrey, Adam (24 December 2001). "Homegrown pix gain in Europe". Variety. p. 7.
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