Mr. Nice (2010)

Mr. Nice has the rare gift of making a true-crime life story feel like a mischievous night out with a dangerously charismatic guide, and Rhys Ifans is the kind of leading man who can charm you even while he’s leading you into trouble. The film rides a buoyant, cheeky vibe—part caper, part character study—finding comedy in the absurd logistics of smuggling and the oddball intersections of counterculture, politics, and power. It’s less a grim cautionary tale than an entertaining, frequently funny portrait of a man who treats risk like a creative medium, and the movie’s breezy energy makes the runtime fly. If you’re looking for a hard-hitting, moralizing crime drama this may feel too light on judgment, but if you want an amusing, charming romp with real personality, it’s an easy recommendation.

Mr. Nice wants to be a cheeky, swaggering biopic about a lovable outlaw who talks his way through smuggling, politics, and chaos, and you can see the appeal in the premise. The problem is it often plays like a highlight reel with missing connective tissue: the pacing lurches, the story feels choppy, and the script doesn’t give the big turns in Marks’ life the punch they need. Rhys Ifans brings charm and a lived-in scruffiness that keeps it watchable in stretches, and there are flashes of wit and period flavor. But if you’re hoping for a tight crime-drama rise-and-fall or a genuinely sharp comedy, this one may leave you bored and wondering when it’s going to properly kick into gear.