writers_reign You could hardly accuse scribe/helmer Peter Capaldi of being subtle. The real Francis Albert Sinatra had widely documented alleged 'connections' with organised crime, specifically the Mafia and Capaldi's Tony Cocozza, a club singer whose repertoire is, as he tells his pianist, strictly Sinatra, makes initial contact with heavy hitting Glasgow gangsters within two reels. If you can get past that without yawning this isn't a bad time-passer and if Brian Cox is well OTT Alun Armstrong turns in a fine low-key cast-against type performance as Cocozza's pianist and closest thing to friend whilst Kelly MacDonald is 1) great to look at and 2) unbelievably and unrealistically nice-cum-naïve. The tune-stack is well up to snuff though Ian Hart is to Sinatra what Dick Van Dyke is to cockney.

treeline1 Toni Cocozza (Ian Hart) is a small-time lounge singer in Glasgow, who performs all Sinatra songs. He's obsessed with Ol' Blue Eyes and dreams of Vegas and stardom. One night, an elderly mob boss and his wife see the show and become Toni's biggest fans. He slowly enters their world and before he knows it, he's become one of the man's henchmen.This is a cute drama with an appealing leading man. Ian Hart is sweet and vulnerable playing a dreamer with limited talent. I was rooting for him all the way. He gets into some nail-biting situations with the gang, led by Brian Cox and Tommy Flannagan who are both quite menacing. Kelly Macdonald is adorable as a cigarette girl who falls for Toni.The movie is exciting and really held my interest. The Glasgow slang and accents may require the use of subtitles, but they are charming. Recommended.

lastliberal I tuned in to see Kelly Macdonald (Trainspotting, The Loss of Sexual innocence), and was rewarded with what was the best performance I have seen of her so far. She was just alive and incredible as the love interest.I got a bonus because the lead, Ian Hart (Breakfast on Pluto, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone) was excellent in the role of a hack lounge singer that got involved with the mob to get a break. He was lucky he didn't get a break - on his legs or arms. Watching him get sucked in for a chance was a great experience.Along the way, we also got some fine performances from Brian Cox (The Ring, The Bourne Supremacy) and Alun Armstrong (Eragon, The Mummy returns.And the music! You can just imagine from the title. Stupendous.

losdal As a lifetime Sinatra fanatic, I was drawn to this movie with interest and little knowledge of the plot. I thought the film was a fairly well told story of a "star struck" wannabe with a gentle heart, who decides he willing to do anything to realize his aspirations, and follow in Ol Blue Eyes footsteps. The musical score is excellent and lends to the period of work that Cocozza's idol gave to the world. Ian Hart does his best to detail what a 28 yr old "loser" feels like, and the depths he will sink to "make it".The one drawback was the often difficulty in understanding the Scottish dialect that too often impairs the ability to discern key dialogue exchanges. All in all, I'd recommend it..especially to the millions of Sinatra fans still around who continue to perceive his talent/persona in a "god-like" fashion.