Naked (1993)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Cassandra M

  
  An unemployed - but intelligent - social misfit goes on the run to London following a back alley rape, but finds The Capital just as desperate and alienating as his native Manchester. This is one of the hardest films I have ever had to review. Topics such as urban alienation,… More
  An unemployed - but intelligent - social misfit goes on the run to London following a back alley rape, but finds The Capital just as desperate and alienating as his native Manchester. This is one of the hardest films I have ever had to review. Topics such as urban alienation, career-choice unemployment, leeching, homelessness, drug taking and sexual violence would normally send me running for cover; but what we have here is so well constructed and so skilfully acted that it transcends it own headline topics. This is a classic case of car-wreck film making: You don't praise or celebrate much, yet it is deeply fascinating and even hypnotic. People are tap dancing on the edge of a metaphorical cliff - some are there of there of their own free will. Director Mike Leigh's semi-improvisational style doesn't always work, but here it really delivers something unique. You feel that you are watching real life even though too much happens in too short a time period for that to be the case. This is a wandering odyssey film and features a central performance - by David Thewlis - that ranks along the best ever witnessed in cinema. How the Oscar people could have (totally) turned their back on a performance as a good as this puzzles; although the film and actor won prizes in Cannes and New York. This is the first film I have ever seen that takes on sexual coercion in a head on fashion. People that have put themselves in a chemical or social situation where someone has something over them. The greasy upper crust landlord (Greg Cruttwell) might seem over-the-top to many but I know a few people actually like that! (For the record his actions would be deemed illegal in real life - if you have seen the film.) What happens to the on-screen people the day after this film ends? Has anything really changed? For Johnny - our central anti-hero - it will be just another day to duck and dive, avoid all work and wind people up using his extensive back reading.

• Lady D

  
  'Naked' is certainly a performance driven film, with very little storyline and as such is an insight into the main character's (David Thewlis) ways, charms, crimes and philosophys as twisted and as controversial for it's time as it might be.

• Dan S

  
  A dark, disturbing, and almost overbearingly bleak look at a drifter in England who crashes at his ex-girlfriend's flat to escape those that will be after him after he commits a heinous act. Definitely not a film for everybody, but one that is full of energy thanks to David… More
  A dark, disturbing, and almost overbearingly bleak look at a drifter in England who crashes at his ex-girlfriend's flat to escape those that will be after him after he commits a heinous act. Definitely not a film for everybody, but one that is full of energy thanks to David Thewlis's incredibly realistic performance as a man who has no where to go. It's a crime Thewlis wasn't nominated for Best Actor here, he's really amazing in this film. While the paralleling of Thewlis's character with another monstrous one isn't as neatly executed as one would expect, this is still a worthy film that gives you an intense perception of the underbelly of certain English societies. Some of the dialogue is exceptional as well, some of the conversations Thewlis strikes up with the people he meets randomly is actually pretty riveting.

• Stella D

  
  deeply disturbing. is everyone in this film mentally ill? it's horrible and hilarious and very, very angry. the female characters seem uniformly masochistic and troubled but of course they'd have to be to want to associate with johnny and jeremy who so obviously hate… More
  deeply disturbing. is everyone in this film mentally ill? it's horrible and hilarious and very, very angry. the female characters seem uniformly masochistic and troubled but of course they'd have to be to want to associate with johnny and jeremy who so obviously hate women. thewlis' mad philosophizing antihero is brilliant and there is a kind of harsh beauty in this unflinching brutality.

• Anthony L

  
  My favourite Mike Leigh film by a mile. David Thewlis's performance in Naked is easily one of the greatest in the history of cinema, definitely in the top 10 of all time. The script is astonishing, its dark humour is both funny but uncomfortable and the characters are hateful but… More
  My favourite Mike Leigh film by a mile. David Thewlis's performance in Naked is easily one of the greatest in the history of cinema, definitely in the top 10 of all time. The script is astonishing, its dark humour is both funny but uncomfortable and the characters are hateful but likable at the same time. A really underrated, overlooked classic. Highly recommended and in my top 5 favourite films of all time.

• Ken S

  
  A fascinating, touching, funny, horrifying, witty, uncomfortable and brilliant film by Mike Leigh. A tour de force performance by David Thewlis.

• Gordon A

  
  Grim study of modern day existential angst with a career defining performance from Thewlis.

• Tim S

  
  David Thewlis is flawless! I wish I could even think half the shit he says.

• Cindy I

  
  What an intense movie! I had never seen David Thewlis before this, and I immediately wanted to see more of him. A brutal piece of cinema. Scenes still come back to me from time to time, and I only saw it once... in 1995.

• xGary X

  
  More humourous and less grim than a lot of Mike Leigh's work, but it still can be tough going. Thewliss is great, but I'm not sure how it would translate to foreign audiences.

• Steve K

  
  Piercing, vulgar, uncomfortable, and hilarious. An original experience.

• Ryan M

  
  9.1/10 Mike Leigh is not new to the concept of unhappiness among the living. He has made films that evoke two kinds of emotions; happiness and sorrow. His slightly-controversial and challenging "Naked", however, if probably the most cynical film the man will ever… More
  9.1/10 Mike Leigh is not new to the concept of unhappiness among the living. He has made films that evoke two kinds of emotions; happiness and sorrow. His slightly-controversial and challenging "Naked", however, if probably the most cynical film the man will ever make. It was depressing beyond belief, set in a world where hope doesn't seem like a "thing" or much of an option, and it takes a certain kind of viewer to go through with finishing it. I can see why it's provoking in perhaps both the right and wrong ways; but as always, I have my opinions. Exactly what did I make of the film? Well, my first reaction was that this was one of the most depressing films I had ever seen in my life, and another reaction was that it was also one of the deepest. Mike Leigh crafts human dramas through both style, wit, and an always complex study of human beings. But unlike some of his other more accessible films, "Naked" is not fun; it is not even "entertaining". But it's not meant to be. We watch it because we are interested, intrigued; fascinated, even. I know that I watched it for those reasons, and maybe even a few more. Art does not always need to be pleasant and easy to digest, and I think Leigh knows that, and that's why he's able to make material as bleak and depressing as this deep, thoughtful, and even philosophical. Johnny (David Thewlis, in his best performance) is a lonely drifter who is having sex with a woman in an alley when the situation turns into a rape; the woman escapes and runs for help, sending the character searching for an escape route himself. After that, he drives out of town (erm...city) and decides to just drop in to see what condition his past lover was in. Upon arriving to her home, he meets her flat-mate; whom he manipulates and seduces into having sex with him. Now, sex in this film is an act that the characters participate in to try and feel an emotion. Most of them are incapable and without love; with Johnny taking advantage of those who are caught up in such things. In fact, I'd say Johnny takes advantage of just about anyone around him. He's a wise-cracker and a night owl; walking the streets, not looking for someone to talk to, but someone to provoke. Roger Ebert said in his review for the film that Johnny exists only for destruction. He's right, you know. Johnny's sole purpose in life is to make people feel like utter shit, and he succeeds. He's not a bad person, but Leigh wants to make sure that his story is without its heroes, and Johnny it therefore just another character, a drifter, in a cruel, cruel world. Johnny's life living under the same room as his former girlfriend (and her flat-mate, of course) is a complicated one. He meets the cruel, perhaps even sexually sadistic landlord. He faces communication barriers at their worst. He grows bored of sex and decides to walk the streets at night instead. He meets many people, one of them being a man (Peter Wight) who has "the most tedious job in the world": to speak in the words of Johnny himself. I suppose Johnny is simply bored throughout his life and we are witnessing him acting out, or maybe there's something deeper going on. It's suggested many, many times throughout the film that he might have psychological problems that are affecting both his mental and physical health. His skin is pale, he's most likely anorexic, and he along with the other characters smokes a lot. I guess it relieves him of stress. And it was these sort of realizations that helped me to identify with Leigh's complicated creature; his creation. His "monster". Accompanied by little music, crafted mostly through pure improvisation, and depicting the seedy underbelly of humanity at its ugliest, "Naked" is both bleak and ambitious in equal doses. I admit it's difficult to watch at times and almost heartless, but all the criticism towards it (such as the claims that the film is just-plain misogynistic and cruel) are, in my opinion, untrue. Mike Leigh has crafted a film that makes us feel even when its characters cannot. We care for them because they're so pathetic; yet so realistic. It's not a film for everyone, and if you want a kinder, easier to swallow depiction of the brighter side of humanity; then look elsewhere. But if you are curious, and if you like a good art-house film, then "Naked" offers something both thought-provoking and truly unique. To say I loved it is, perhaps, misleading. I admired it and more. I love films that I enjoy. I did not enjoy "Naked". But admiration can go a long way, and deep films deserve to be praised, don't they? So there you go.

• Mike T

  
  Mike Leigh's controversial masterpiece is by turns sardonic, hideous and exhilarating. It is both a scorching social commentary and a character study, but unconventional in both respects. Naked opens on its hero sexually abusing an unknown woman in a dark alley, thereby… More
  Mike Leigh's controversial masterpiece is by turns sardonic, hideous and exhilarating. It is both a scorching social commentary and a character study, but unconventional in both respects. Naked opens on its hero sexually abusing an unknown woman in a dark alley, thereby introducing us to a cold and desperate landscape unlike anything we are likely to have seen. While retaining a sense of irony and humor, it is underlined by an ominous musical score and depictions of brutal sexual violence. All the acting is good, but David Thewlis makes this movie his own. With his portrayal of this picture's anti-hero, he gives us one of the most astonishing modern screen performances. His acting never misses a mark, and it is his character interpretation that keeps viewers engaged, even when we want to turn away. To dismiss Naked because it's hard to watch is an injustice. This is a great film.

• Stephen E

  
  The committed performance from David Thewlis is easily the best thing about "Naked." He holds literally nothing back, absorbed in his washed-up character and spewing a thousand lines per minute from his hateful mouth. This is acting at its utmost finest and I doubt that… More
  The committed performance from David Thewlis is easily the best thing about "Naked." He holds literally nothing back, absorbed in his washed-up character and spewing a thousand lines per minute from his hateful mouth. This is acting at its utmost finest and I doubt that you'll find a more underrated performance or film.

• Brian R

  
  A landmark picture by Mike Leigh. This film is so good, so dark , so truthful, so real, so engaging. The performances are so well cast that they appear as real people with real problems. I really liked David Thewlis character a drifter who is very intellegent and is also humourous and… More
  A landmark picture by Mike Leigh. This film is so good, so dark , so truthful, so real, so engaging. The performances are so well cast that they appear as real people with real problems. I really liked David Thewlis character a drifter who is very intellegent and is also humourous and sarcastic. Mike Leigh is a powerful gifted filmmaker.

• Ed Fucking H

  
  This film really was brilliant. Excellent acting, camera work, score and so on and so forth. A character study of a truly despicable, nihilistic bastard, who by the end you will sympathize with regardless of his oppressivly bleak and misanthropic demeanor.All that aside the film is… More
  This film really was brilliant. Excellent acting, camera work, score and so on and so forth. A character study of a truly despicable, nihilistic bastard, who by the end you will sympathize with regardless of his oppressivly bleak and misanthropic demeanor.All that aside the film is also frequently darkly humourous, and an all around engaging and rewarding expeirience, Strongly recommended.

• Emily B

  
  Mike Leigh's best in my opinion. A remarkable performance by David Thewlis, with an exceptional supporting cast. The script is dark and witty providing small moments of humour in an otherwise incredibly bleak film. Simply brillaint!

• MJS M

  
  Yeesh! This is one depressing movie. It?s a film about horrible miserable and their horrible miserable lives shown in full unflinching realism. I?m not a huge fan of the film?s structure, the main character basically goes from person to person, rants at them, then leaves. All that… More
  Yeesh! This is one depressing movie. It?s a film about horrible miserable and their horrible miserable lives shown in full unflinching realism. I?m not a huge fan of the film?s structure, the main character basically goes from person to person, rants at them, then leaves. All that is juxtaposed with the misadventures of his friends back at an apartment complex. All the acting here is excellent, and some of the guy?s ranting is very well written. I can admire the film, but Jesus Christ is it hard to watch. These people need to go outside and pick some flowers or something.

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