Oh, wow, this is good. The idea of getting a big-name actor to direct a short film about football that would basically serve as an advert for Pepsi (sponsors of the upcoming World Cup in Brazil) sounds – and indeed is – corporately cheesy. Presumably they were expecting some generically cheery people popping Pepsis on the pitch and maybe a cameo or two: but when they gave it to Idris Elba, what they got instead was “Unstoppable,” a soulful slice of ’70s English school life, in which a hopeless nerd suddenly reveals unexpected football skills, all done with playful handheld camerawork on warm, ’70s-style filmstock and with a soundtrack from R3HAB and Eva Simons.
But that’s what they got. With a funked-up title sequence, a little bit of romance and a predictable but adorable storyline, this—Elba’s first piece of directing—is a remarkably fun little short that also manages to avoid its stated purpose by not making me want a Pepsi. Nice work from Elba, who is now an actor, producer, singer, rapper, DJ and director. [Flickering Myth]