Red-Barracuda I remember back in the day I used to regularly encounter Tony Wilson via the pages of the music weeklies such as Melody Maker. On that basis, I always used to think he was a bit of an annoying, attention-seeking idiot. Well, I have to admit that this highly negative viewpoint was swept away completely once I saw 24 Hour Party People. This film made me realise, that far from being an annoyance, Wilson was a pretty overwhelmingly positive force for good as far as the British music scene went. TV journalist, record mogul, nightclub owner, he was a man of many colours and one with obvious contradictions – while he was a bit pompous, he was very good-intentioned and while he was something of a musical visionary, he was terrible at long-term planning. What's abundantly clear though, is that he was most certainly not out for personal financial gain through his ventures; his idea of allowing the bands to come and go as they pleased with no ownership attributed to his record company was very worthy and in true artistic spirit but it was also, needless to say, ultimately catastrophic. Despite doing very well for himself, Wilson seems to have been a really terrible businessman. And this is yet another reason to love the guy.The film charts the Manchester music scene from the mid 70's post-punk scene to late 80's Madchester period. It centres on Wilson's Factory Records who had many key Manchester acts on their label, including seminal bands such as Joy Division, New Order and Happy Mondays. Perhaps just as importantly, Factory also owned the Hacienda nightclub which would go on to become a place majorly associated with the rise of DJ culture and dance music. There is no doubting the importance of the Manchester music scene at the turn of the 90's and this film shows that Wilson was a huge figure in its genesis, one whose hands-off approach allowed for the music on his label to flower in the best way.Michael Winterbottom directs this with great skill. The loose approach matches the music. It's fast-paced and regularly laugh-out-loud funny. A big help here is the outstanding performance from brilliant comic actor Steve Coogan in the role of Wilson. He often breaks the fourth wall to offer valuable asides to us and generally gives out a performance that deftly combines comedy and drama expertly. There are a variety of other real characters portrayed here including Ian Curtis, Shaun Ryder and Martin Hannett; and no one lets the side down. And then of course there is a ready-made soundtrack of great tunes in which events play out in front of, from the post-punk iciness of Joy Division through to the baggy hedonism of the Happy Mondays. All of this adds up to a music biopic of a very high level indeed. Wilson was a man who definitely deserved his achievements to be celebrated in a film which is this inspiring, entertaining and hilarious.

LouieInLove The film makers achieved what they wanted!The music is fantastic as is the look, the acting and the casting. You really couldn't want more from a music film. The story covers a very important period in music and does so with a touch of genuine soul.The movie is funny and entertaining and as authentic as they could make it within the parameters of the story. Any criticism would be unwarranted. I honestly can't say anymore. I suggest you sit back and enjoy the ride. It obviously helps If you have some prior knowledge of the story and the music.Tony Wilson could be a pompous patronising c***, but was blessed with a wee stroke of genius and this film portrays this well.Good job all round.

tommy_68 I watched 24 hour party people for the first time today and all i can say is what a great film this is! It's so fantastic to see the cream of British talent merged into a film that not only details events leading up to the what-we-now-call the rave culture but it displays a thoroughly in-depth representation of lifestyle in the country with so much British humour pouring out of it. Not knowing much about the punk-rock culture that gripped the world at that time, i was unaware of what to expect and probably thought i'd be seeing another 'Human Traffic', but i couldn't have been more wrong. '24 Hour Party People' sends you on a journey through the life of TV presenter/founder of Factory Records Tony Wilson, a production company that put such world-famous bands on the map such as 'Happy Mondays' and 'Joy Division'. With so many characters bursting with charisma and energy along the way, it's so hard to believe that such a wide variety of British actors (John Simm, Paddy Considine, Peter Kay, Shirley Henderson and Rob Brydon to name but a few) can actually make a film like this work, but not even these so talented performers damage the pace and genuity of such a work of art.This film sometimes had me believing whether what i was watching was fact or fiction, with the film largely based on true events and shot in mockumentary for, i sometimes struggled to realize history from point-of-views, but this only heightened the originality and structure of the movie. At of everything great about this movie, Steve Coogan has to come out at best. Everything he does is so down-right hilarious yet meaningful, bringing all of the brilliant characters to the height of their game. He basically moulds the entirety of the film and never shows signs of stopping when all has failed. OK so i could see hints of Alan Partrige in him (most notably the first section of the film when he hang-glides) but this only jolted me into hysterics more. This is a quality actor who should never be overlooked as one of Britain's all-time performers.Overall, i don't really have anything particularly bad to say about this film, and that's usually not the case for me! So if your a British citizen, whether or not you want to explore the origins of a key culture in our society (even today) this film is for you! I don't really know how it will go down with the rest of the world as their could be many mixed reviews, this is all down to the distribution and making of the film, you don't know whether it could be mainstream cinema or British indie. But this shouldn't put you off at all, so to see the best British comedians and actors with more chemistry (and chemicals) than a science lab, go out and get 24 Hour Party People! You will not regret it!p.s. the only thing it was missing was Lee Evans! :P

Gordon-11 This film recounts the birth of a record label in Manchester, and its journey to lift Manchester as the place to be for modern music.Initially I found "24 Hour Party People" quite boring. It was probably because I was not familiar with the music of Joy Division, New Order, or the Happy Mondays. Hence, the film becomes a quasi documentary of a businessman and his drug fuelled musicians who live hedonistic lives. As I do not know the background history, I find the plot not so interesting or captivating.The parties in ""24 Hour Party People" are not the sort of parties I had in mind when I watched this film. Maybe this led to the disappointment I felt.