Best Laid Plans

Best Laid Plans

Some Friendships are worth fighting for

Directed by David Blair

Produced by Made Up North Productions

2012108 min5.5 / 10

A dark, intimate drama about exploitation and loyalty that traces the tragic corruption of a friendship bound by desperation and debt.

David Blair directs this powerful British Drama, loosely inspired by John Steinbeck's novel 'Of Mice and Men'. Set in Nottingham, the film revolves around the relationship between the thuggish Danny (Stephen Graham) and Joseph (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje), a giant of a man with a mental age of seven. When Danny finds himself in debt to a local crime boss, he feels he is left with no choice but to manipulate Joseph into participating in a series of underground cage fights from which Danny can pay his debts.

Questions people ask

  • Is Best Laid Plans sad? Yes, very. More sad than 91% of films.

  • Is Best Laid Plans violent? Yes. More violent than 88% of films.

  • Does Best Laid Plans end with hope? Barely. Less hopeful than 78% of films.

  • Is Best Laid Plans scary? Yes. More frightening than 76% of films.

  • Is Best Laid Plans easy watching? Not especially. Less comforting than 74% of films.

These describe how the film comes across, measured across the whole film and compared with other well-known films. They are not a content list — nothing here was counted or checked scene by scene, so for age-suitability or specific content use a classification board or a dedicated content-warning service.

8/ 100

Cinnamon Score

How much this film gives you that nothing else will, and whether it delivers.

Conventional, and it does not land.

Rarity13

How unlike any other film this one feels

Surprise5

How much more it delivers than it promises

Love8

How much audiences actually like it

The highest scores in the catalogue →

Ensemble

Like Best Laid Plans

Nearest across the full emotional profile.

Same Mood as Best Laid Plans

Nearest on what's most distinctive about this one.

Like Best Laid Plans, But Darker

Similar, pushed toward heavier and more intense.

Like Best Laid Plans, But Lighter

Similar, pushed toward warmer and easier.

Like Best Laid Plans, But Less Popular

Same territory, far fewer people have seen it.

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