CHARLIE COUNTRYMAN – (2013) – Movie Review ★★★★

Cast – Shia LaBeouf, Evan Rachel Wood, Mads Mikkelsen, Rupert Grint & Til Schweiger – Charlie Countryman (LaBeouf) gets visited by his recently deceased mum who tells him to visit Bucharest – on the plane trip over, he gets chatting to an elderly man who suddenly passes away in the seat next to him & upon his death the man asks Charlie to visit his daughter Gabi & deliver a present. Charlie meets Gabi and instantly falls in love with her, unbeknown to him she is the wife of Nigel, a Romanian mobster and someone you just don’t want in your life. VERDICT from first time helmer Fredrik Bond comes one of the surprise movies of the year – Charlie Countryman is a delightfully quriky drama, with hints of comedy, romance and brutal violence – the acting throughout is top draw with Shia LaBeouf and Evan Rachel Wood both owning the screen with some crazy chemistry – Harry Potter’s Rupert Grint gives a rather hilarious turn as Karl a wannabe porn star going under the name Boris Pecker who takes 6 Viagras and ends up in deep shit with a Romanian club owner and Hannibal’s Mads Mikkelsen looks every bit the nasty bit of work he portrays in the movie – overall Charlie Countryman has hints of True Romance with the trippy-ness of Spring Breakers – it’s a love story, with a violent and ultimately satisfying finale that includes some gorgeous cinematography and a vibrant soundtrack – if your looking for something altogether different from your comic-book superhero movies then Fredrik Bond’s little picture might just be for you….