Mr Nice is a biopic based on the autobiography of Howard Marks, Directed by Bernard Rose and released in 2010 starring Rhys Ifans, Chloe Sevigny and David Thewlis. It presents the story of Marks from his teenage years through to graduating from oxford and then his rise to infamy as the world's largest drug smuggle, connections with MI6, CIA, IRA and run-ins with the law leading to his ultimate arrest and incarceration at Terre Haute Prison, America.
The film initally received performed poorly and received mixed reviews from critics but has gradually become an underground cult hit and has boosted the sales of an already bestselling book and that in turn has had an effect on the growth and status of the film.
I originally saw a trailer for the film on the internet after looking him up on recommendation and immediately bought his book and read it several times through before seeing his stand-up show live at a festival over the summer and happened across meeting him afterward and having a little chat, and finally got round to buying the DVD a few weeks ago and watching it with a few friends who were equally as interested.
It misses out large portions of the book however, which bothered me as the book shows the full extent of everything he did whereas the film tones it down quite a bit, other than that it was completely fascinating and interesting and a real joy to watch as it's such a departure from any other activity that you hear about.
