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Young Adam

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Young Adam (2004)

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Reviews Counted:114

Fresh:71

Rotten:43

Average Rating:6.3/10

Consensus: A grim mood piece with good performances from the leads.

Runtime: 1 hr 37 mins

Genre: Dramas

Synopsis: YOUNG ADAM is David McKenzie's adaptation of Scottish Beat writer Alexander Trocchi's cult novel, a romantic murder mystery set on a barge in the canals of Scotland. Lovely photography by Giles... YOUNG ADAM is David McKenzie's adaptation of Scottish Beat writer Alexander Trocchi's cult novel, a romantic murder mystery set on a barge in the canals of Scotland. Lovely photography by Giles Nuttgens, complemented by a lonely score by David Byrne, provides a picturesque backdrop for what is otherwise a seedy story of morality gone far astray and hopelessness taking hold of everyday life, with sex as the only outlet. Ewan McGregor and Tilda Swinton both lend excellent performances to the film, acting out a strained relationship of carnal misgiving that is their mutual respite. Working on a barge that travels to ports between Glasgow and Edinburgh, Joe (McGregor) is a randy ol' chap. He befriends Les (Peter Mullen) as they labor hard days shoveling coal and pass their evenings over pints and darts in the local pubs. But Joe is simply positioning himself to seduce Les' wife, Ella (Swinton), who he easily and frequently beds. A steamy affair with a heavy dose of on-screen coitus eventually leads to trouble for all three. A subplot concerns Joe's past romance with a girl (Emily Mortimer) whose mysterious death is reported in local papers, with flashbacks to raunchy sexual interludes representing his fondest memories of her. This movie screened in October 2003 as part of the 41st New York Film Festival organized by the Film Society of Lincoln Center. [More]

Starring: Ewan McGregor, Tilda Swinton, Peter Mullan, Emily Mortimer

Starring: Ewan McGregor, Tilda Swinton, Peter Mullan, Emily Mortimer, Ewan Stewart, Alan Cooke, Rory McCann, Pauline Turner, Stuart McQuarrie, Therese Bradley, Jack McElhone

Director: David Mackenzie

Director: David Mackenzie
Producer: Jeremy Thomas
Composer: David Byrne
Studio: Sony Pictures Classics

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Reviews for Young Adam

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
12/30/06
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

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Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
02/09/06
Geoff Andrew
Geoff Andrew
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Joe's affectless state of mind is expressed through the gritty visual texture and cold, grey-blue palette, flat, detached dialogue and above all Ewan McGregor's performance.

Full Review Source: Sight and Sound | comment Comment
10/07/03
Phillip Kemp
Phillip Kemp
Sight and Sound

'From the grimy, scrabbling bodies to the barge itself, every surface seems to glisten with rain, sweat or grease.'

Full Review Source: Teletext | comment Comment
09/26/03
Paul Arendt
Paul Arendt
Teletext

Watching it is rather like finding yourself impaled on a steel rod. It is sharp, cold, and thoroughly riveting.

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
09/24/03
Stella Papamichael
Stella Papamichael
BBC
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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Full Review Source: ViewLondon | comment Comment
09/06/03
Matthew Turner
Matthew Turner
ViewLondon
N/R

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Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
08/28/03
Channel 4 Film
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

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Full Review Source: Guardian [UK] | comment Comment
08/28/03
Andrew Pulver
Andrew Pulver
Guardian [UK]
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

McGregor delivers a frightening against-type performance in this dark but extremely well made Scottish drama.

Full Review Source: Shadows on the Wall | comment Comment
08/28/03
Rich Cline
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall

nudity is perhaps the only intriguing element in this ponderous and torpid story about Joe (McGregor), a young drifter who takes work on a barge operated by a husband and wife (Peter Mullan and Tilda Swinton) after the mysterious death of his ex-girlfrien

Full Review Source: ColeSmithey.com | comment Comment
05/05/09
Cole Smithey
Cole Smithey
ColeSmithey.com
N/R

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Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
10/18/08
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile
N/R

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Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
05/26/06
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

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Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
12/06/05
Film Threat
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

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Full Review Source: Houston Chronicle | comment Comment
07/21/05
Houston Chronicle
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

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Full Review Source: Sydney Morning Herald | comment Comment
05/13/05
Sydney Morning Herald
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

... a sepia-toned dirge of a film, pointedly sluggish and crabbed

Full Review Source: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette | comment Comment
01/29/05
Philip Martin
Philip Martin
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Looking Closer | comment Comment
12/27/04
J. Robert Parks
J. Robert Parks
Looking Closer

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Full Review Source: tonymedley.com | comment Comment
10/07/04
Tony Medley
Tony Medley
tonymedley.com

I was much impressed with this superbly performed and tightly scripted noirish period drama.

Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | comment Comment
09/16/04
Dennis Schwartz
Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews

Where it’s disturbing is in McGregor’s challenging, defiant performance...

Full Review Source: Flick Filosopher | comment Comment
09/08/04
MaryAnn Johanson
MaryAnn Johanson
Flick Filosopher
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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Latest News for Young Adam

August 27, 2007: RT talks to Hallam Foe helmer David Mackenzie
The Brit director introduces us to his "teen gothic fairytale." More...

August 26, 2007: RT-UK's What to Watch at the Edinburgh Film Festival
Rotten Tomatoes UK heads up north to take in the sights and sounds of the Edinburgh Film Festival. And as the celebration of cinema draws to a close we present what's hot and... More...

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