STEVE COOGAN AND Michael Winterbottom
are no strangers to scenic views and fancy
canapés — on their long-running show The Trip
the comedian and director, along with Rob
Brydon, have mooched from one sun-drenched
luxury location to the next, including, in this
year’s fourth series, Greece. But while the central
location in Greed — a beachside hotel on the
Greek island of Mykonos — may inspire thoughts
of Coogan impersonating Roger Moore while
nibbling on lamb chops, the prevailing mood
here is not whimsy, but anger. The fi lm is
designed as an assault on the carelessness,
cruelty and — yes — greed of the mega-rich.
It is, though, only partly successful in that
aim, too tangled with subplots and didactic
in its tone to really land a devastating punch.
It’s a shame, because high-street fashion
magnate Sir Richard McCreadie, aka ‘Rich’, aka
‘Greedy’, is a solid new Coogan creation, with
blinding-white gnashers, an irritating haircut that
probably cost McCreadie £500, and a nice line in
colourful put-downs; at one point, surveying one
of his stores that’s been given a coat of pink paint,he complains about feeling “trapped in a vagina
full of discount clothes”. He’s just believable
enough to be credible as a real-world billionaire
(the character was largely based on Topshop’s Sir
Philip Green, who has faced a flurry of complaints
from employees about his conduct), and just
ludicrous enough to be consistently entertaining.
McCreadie’s favourite movie is, rather
wonderfully, Gladiator. So his 60th birthday
bash, around which the story revolves, is
a charmless aff air based on the Russell Crowe
epic, complete with fake Colosseum, enforced
togas and sedated lion (the beast is largely, and
sometimes noticeably, computer-generated).
The action which unfolds on Mykonos in the
run-up to the party is the film’s strongest
element, boasting some decent cameos and an
excellent George Michael joke, as well as small
but well-developed performances from Isla
Fisher (as McCreadie’s candid first wife) and Asa
Butterfi eld (as his decidedly peculiar son). Under
the Greek sun, Greedmakes its satirical points
with a light hand, even if the party’s denouement
does pack a serious punch.
Unfortunately, though, there’s quite a bit
of heavy-handedness, too, as Winterbottom
regularly cuts away from the party-planning
with fl ashbacks that delve into McCreadie’s
unscrupulous early life, as well as scenes with
a tagalong biographer, played by David Mitchell,
who never feels like more than a device to extract
exposition. The fi lm begins with a quote from E.M.
Forster, and concludes with a lengthy series of title
cards providing facts and figures on such varied
issues as immigration, the global wealth gap and
gender inequality. The breadth and intensity of the
fi lm’s ambition is clear, but it’s hard not to feel that
a more focused approach would have resulted in a
superior story. NICK DE SEMLYENVERDICT Like Maximus, the hero who
inspires the theme of its pivotal party,Greed
will keep you entertained. But patchiness
and occasional preachiness mar a clearly
heartfelt message movie.GREED
DIRECTOR Michael Winterbottom
CAST Steve Coogan, Isla Fisher, David MitchellPLOT Retail-fashion tycoon Sir Richard ‘Greedy’
McCreadie (Coogan) is preparing for his 60th
birthday party, a gaudy debauch on a Greek
island that’s designed to show off his wealth
and power. But potential problems keep arising,
from a recalcitrant lion to a band of immigrants
ruining the view. And there might even be some
more serious trouble before the night is through.OUT 23 APRIL
★★★ CERT TBC / 104 MINS[FILM]
OUT NOW
DEVS ★★★ P31
THE MANDALORIAN ★★★★ P32
ONWARD ★★★★★ P309 APRIL
THE HUNT ★★ P3423 APRIL
GREED ★★★ P35
MISBEHAVIOUR ★★★ P3430 APRIL
HEARTS AND BONES(BELOW) ★★★★★ P266 MAY
LIKE A BOSS ★★ P3121 MAY
VIVARIUM ★★★ P2811 JUNE
RADIOACTIVE ★★ P28LATER THIS YEAR
THE ASSISTANT ★★★★ P29
HOPE GAP(ABOVE) ★★★ P34CHECKLIST
Your at-a-glance view
to this month’s reviewsFOR MORE REVIEWS, VISIT EMPIREONLINE.COMIt was a startling new look
for Gordon Gekko.