Naked is a movie I cannot see enough times. Mike Leigh's deeply philosophical film is one long inquisition of thought from its seedy protagonist Johnny (played by the brilliant David Thewlis). The film follows Johnny after he commits several unsavory crimes at the very opening of the movie.
Johnny flees to London, seeking sanctuary with an ex-girlfriend and her promiscuous roommate. Johnny spends most his time deliberately deconstructing the beliefs and primitive values of those that surround him. He feels the world has become fickle and ripe with idiocy/ignorance.
And that is the story. There is some narrative and plot thrown in there, but in general, Naked is Dialogue representing the writers own musings on life. Johnny is one of the truly damned, nonredeemable miscreants of the world. And he speaks in speeches with the weight of the damned on each word. Along his way he runs into a truly unique cast of characters: A tourette-ridden Scotsman and his lost girlfriend, a security guard convinced of many past lives, a violent egomaniac and sadistic womanizer, and a few others.
If you are a fan of deeply introspective entertainment this movie is about as good as it gets. Also, it's damned near hilarious at times, and damn depressing in others. The film works as a black comedy, a philosophical debate, and the quintessential anti-hero story.
9/10
