Naked (1993)

This is the greatest David Thewlis performance in one of the greatest Mike Leigh films. Thewlis plays the motormouth conspiracy theorist Johnny who wanders London expounding on his labyrinthine life theories in a series of blistering monologues.

The critic hails the film as a masterpiece of dark humour and accurate observation, a British counterpart to Bad Lieutenant. He praises David Thewlis's brilliant central performance while noting some rambling scenes.

Turan hails the film as remarkable and unnerving, a daring character study of the vicious yet complex Johnny. He praises Leigh's rehearsal process and the way the film illuminates the intricacies of life through its lead performance.

The critic highlights the film's status as Leigh's bleakest work, centered on a mesmerizing, logorrheic performance by David Thewlis as the sociopathic yet witty Johnny. Leigh contrasts this character with an even more repulsive figure to underscore themes of emotional violence and stripped humanity.

Canby calls the film a brilliant somersault into dark new territory for Leigh, centered on the caustic, abusive drifter Johnny. He singles out David Thewlis's staggeringly fine performance and the dazzling dialogue for praise.

Leigh's picaresque tale is his most troubling and intriguing work since Meantime, and by far his most cinematic; the outstanding cast, especially David Thewlis's virtuoso performance, gives the film its cruel energy, wit and power.

Mike Leigh's film is a major surprise, a Stygian comedy on 90s London social angst that shifts suddenly from comedy to violence and ends in a strangely moving love story. It features a resonant, beautifully modulated script and a tour de force performance from David Thewlis.

The review presents Naked as a complex humanist polemic set in post-Thatcher London, praising its focus on the mercurial, intellectually barbed Johnny as both repellent and fascinating. It singles out the film's resistance to simple allegory and its vivid portrayal of urban despair and fleeting human connections.

The critic hails Naked as one of the most complex and audacious British films of the early nineties, praising its unflinching portrayal of societal ills through Johnny's story. He singles out David Thewlis's brilliant performance as the anti-hero for particular acclaim, while noting the film's pessimism and occasional parody.

Mike Leigh's Naked may be the first British movie in a long while worth paying to see, thanks to David Thewlis's force-of-nature performance as the central figure Johnny. The film has its share of cartoons and flaws but is redeemed by Thewlis's attention and model performance.

The critic finds the film disturbing and cruel in its depiction of misogyny and male self-loathing, but argues it deserves serious consideration because of Mike Leigh's established talent for nuanced British social comedy.

The critic finds the film sour and dominated by an artificial, nihilistic protagonist whose worldview goes largely uncontested. He singles out the unconvincing, stereotypical supporting characters and the film's excessive length and self-indulgence for complaint.

The critic highlights the lightning-in-a-bottle performance by David Thewlis as the feral, brilliant Johnny and praises the entire cast's depth along with Leigh's stylized direction and sparse lighting that underscore the film's themes of isolation.

The review centers on David Thewlis's kinetic, complex performance as the antihero Johnny and commends the raw, anti-Hollywood realism of Leigh's improvisatory approach that makes every moment electrifying despite loose structure.

The critic revisits Mike Leigh's divisive 1993 film during a BFI retrospective and 4K re-release, highlighting its shocking tone shift from the director's earlier work and the ferocious star-making turn by David Thewlis as the misanthropic Johnny. They note the film's challenging, horrifying, beautiful, objectionable, funny, exciting and exhausting qualities, along with its renewed relevance to issues like homelessness, misogyny and urban alienation.