Director: Justin Kerrigan
Screenplay: Justin Kerrigan
Starring: John Simm, Lorraine Pilkington, Shaun Parkes, Danny Dyer, Nicola Reynolds, Andrew Lincoln, Dean Davies, Richard Coyle,
Country: UK
Running Time: 99m
Year: 1999
The BFI have recently released an excellent edition of a much loved classic from the late 90s. But we’re here to talk about Human Traffic, not Twenty four seven.
I am not the audience for this film. I never was. Poor reviews on release and uninspiring trailers persuaded me to dodge it. So why did I want to review the BFI’s [checks notes] “long awaited” UHD release this month? Because maybe I was wrong. Maybe I missed a gem. The last great British film of the 90s, allegedly. And maybe I’ve always been wrong about Bafta-botherer Danny Dyer.
Well, that experiment failed. Much like every few years I end up trying to watch Event Horizon again in case I’m missing something, because everyone seems to think it’s an under-appreciated next-level horror (it’s not). Human Traffic is awful. There are some excellent performances, blunt humour and obvious enthusiasm. It’s also a mess of unlikable characters in a moral vacuum. A celebration of laddish mediocrity with no sense of discipline. It isn’t a film, it’s a sketch show. If it makes you laugh, excellent -and I’d be lying if I said it was entirely mirthless- but don’t confuse this mess with an actual film. I understand it’s a film for a youth sub-culture I was never part of, but if you were, I wish there was a better avenue for your nostalgia.
The cast carry it. They’re the only element that lifts Human Traffic off the shelf with other classics of the era like Spice World or Kevin & Perry Go Large. John Simm is particularly good and gags land only because of his determination and talent. Danny Dyer is in it as well.
Danny Dyer has most recently been seen in Rivals. Honestly, he is fantastic in a role that requires a sophisticated, self-aware performance. It was a surprise because I’ve never liked Dyer’s hitherto cheeky chappie schtick. Have I done him a disservice? Nope. Human Traffic reminds me why I’ve avoided his stuff for so long, even if he’s obviously very good at it.
Gushing retrospective reviews would have you believe that this cult classic can somehow be mentioned in the same breath as Trainspotting or Clerks. They must have been written under the influence of the same stuff the characters are on.
VIDEO
The choices for what emerges onto boutique 4K and UHD can sometimes seem a little eccentric. I’m not convinced Human Traffic needed 4K and, certainly, the BFI have been smart about previous releases, like Ikuru which got a fine, affordable BluRay release.
I just name-checked Kurosawa in a review for Human Traffic. Let’s move on, quickly.
Nevertheless, this is an extraordinary presentation. A colourful, beautifully balanced image, sharply detailed. For all its many, endless faults, the film has a bold style that responds very well to the faithful skin-tones.
EXTRA FEATURES
The worst films are merely boring and uninspired. I didn’t like Human Traffic (at all), but it isn’t boring. And the years have justified its existence with a devoted following, so what do I know? I know it isn’t for me, that’s what.
If it’s for you, this collection is a treat. Mark Searby talks about all the good aspects of the film that whistled past me. There’s a good chunk of deleted scenes and an irreverent feature, as well as a couple of interviews. Strangely for the BFI, there’s no “local angle” stuff from their archive; they can normally be counted on to include something only tangentially related to the film.
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- Bonus Footage
- Commentary with critic Mark Searby
- Deleted Scenes
- New feature Nice One Bruvva’
- Archive feature ‘Rave’
- Interviews with Renata S. Aly (executive producer) and Danny Dyer
- Human Traffic pop promo
- Trailers
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