Howard Marks was a drug smuggler who, when on the runas a Wanted Criminal, stole the identity of a Denis Nice. And according to this entertaining biopicbased on his life it was a very appropriate name for him as everybody (exceptthe police and customs officials) seemed to love this rather charming and outgoing fun-loving family man.
As the movie is based on Mr. Mark’s own account of hisrather colorful life in which he wrote on how he could spin a good yarn withlittle regard to the truth, I guess we can take some of the facts with morethan a pinch of salt. He did after allhave 43 different aliases at one time. Anyway it is true that he was born in 1945 in a working class family in a small Welshvillage. A bright boy, he defiedexpectations and won a scholarship to the prestigious Balliol College in Oxfordwhich was both the start of his fascination with learning, and also cannabis.
He started smoking marijuana as way of fitting in withall the middle and upper class students with their privileged backgrounds, andin the end became not just one of them, but actually their leader as he endedup suppling them with their ‘dope’. Howard was amazed not only how easy this was, but also that hecould make money doing it too.
However he graduated, got married, became a schoolteacher, until one day a friend in a fix asked Howard to rescue a car full ofcannabis that was stranded in Europe. Hedoes, makes some real money, and is hooked. There is no turning back and he sets himself up as smuggler/dealer tomake his fortune.
It’s rather a mad story that has him persuading the IRAto use their gun running activities to help him import resin from Pakistan, and he has get gets more and more successful, and its not until Howard sets his eyes on a bigger market i.e. the USA, does hestart to get into trouble with the Law.
The every creative Mr. Marks is now cornered andfacing hefty charges in Court and so he claims he is in fact an undercover spyfor the UK’s Secret Service and produces a telephone number of a high-rankingofficial and gets set free. This timeanyway. Later on despite trying toinvoke the same excuse when he is on trial in Florida, he finally ends up injail.
This delightful and funny film is no masterpiece by any means, but is thoroughly entertaining. How much istrue, is kind of irrelevant to the story. What I think is indisputable is that Marks always stuck to marijuana andnever ever dealt in hard drugs, and as that as is essentially a ‘herb’ which should be legal anyway, he probably isn’t a criminal at all. And there is very noticeable none of the usual gang warfareor in fact and violence at all. But it is probable Mark’stotal devotion as a family man with his wife and children that is the sealingingredient to the fact that he really was a very nice bloke (chap)
Playing Marks in his first leading role is Welshman Rhys Ifanwho, borne out by the DVD extras IS Howard marks. It’s a wonderful performance and he imbues itwith his great gift of comic timing. Chloe Sevignyplays his wife : an odd casting choice and I really cannot fathom outwhy.
A good Brit comedy that will make you laugh without the need to resort smoking a ‘joint’ first.
