GurlyIamBeach Instant Favorite.

Matrixiole Simple and well acted, it has tension enough to knot the stomach.

SanEat A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."

Maleeha Vincent It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

Neil Welch This is a creditable stab at telling Modesty Blaise's origin story by way of flashbacks forming part of a robbery / hostage story while Modesty is on her way to forming The Network in Tangier.As a stand alone film for someone who has never read a novel or comic strip, I think it is probably quite successful, if a little lacking in production value.The reservations I have derive from the portrayal of Modesty herself. On one hand, she is very self assured, which is good: conversely, she doesn't seem (yet?) to have developed the moral sensibilities she often shows in the novels, whereby she will happily use sexual tricks to win strategy points: here she sometimes comes across as prudish. Also, while actress Alexandra Staden looks the part, particularly facially, she never quite convinces in combat scenes: she very clearly comes across as someone who is delivering moves in a choreographed routine, not someone who's movements are fluidly derived from almost subconscious processing of all relevant elements.A worthy attempt, but not entirely successful.

morrison-dylan-fan With being a fan of Tarantinos films and having heard about Scott Spiegls involvement in starting the carriers of Tarantino and Sam Raimi,i felt the i should give this a try,and after finding out that it only took eighteen days to make the film,i feel the it is a flawed,but fun film. The plot:A casino house is held up by a gang that has killed the owner and wants the code to break into the casinos safe.The gang leader picks a croupier called Modesty to sort out the code.So she is forced to ring up one of the other staff members to get the code,but due to the teller being very far away,the gang leader decides to make the time pass better by playing a game of roulette with modesty,where they both have more to lose than just cash in this game...View on the film: Direction:The main flaw with the film seems to be the spilt interest in the sections of the film by Spiegel.The gambling part of the film is a very enjoyable drama,but sadly the flashbacks that should make you a lot more interested in Modesty,thought pretty well written they are made to look like they are from a very cheap low-rent straight to video film.And also the main death in the film (of someone falling onto the centre of a roulette wheel,is shot that badly you can not make out at all that the person has landed on the wheel.Final view on the film:A very enjoyable gambling drama,the is let down by a badly shot death and a poorly filmed back story.

Magnus1964 There's a great deal of material from the Modesty Blaise comics and novels that would be great in a movie. Unfortunately, several attempts have been made and they've fallen short of the great potential in the character. So, no, this isn't the Modesty you know from the comic strip (currently reprinted in nice editions from Titan Books). This is Modesty some 5 or 6 years prior to the first strip, and from what you can piece together from her back-story, it's accurate.Miramax had the movie rights to the character, with Quentin Tarantino acting as advocate and technical adviser. Early drafts of the Miramax project attempted to adapt one of the best novels, but always managed to leave out some crucial element. Tarantino wasn't happy with any of them, and offered to remove his name from the project so they could proceed. To the studio's credit, they wanted to keep him in the process, since they knew he "got" the character and her world. With the movie rights close to expiration, they decided to try a very different approach. The result was "My Name is Modesty," a small direct-to-video movie that introduces the character.The movie does not introduce Willie Garvin or Sir Gerald. These characters are important to Blaise's adventures throughout most of the published stories. What this movie accomplishes is showing the strength of the character by herself. She never loses her composure, and you never doubt that she's in charge even unarmed in a room full of gangsters with guns. Most of the movie takes place within a casino, which undoubtedly saved money on the production. It doesn't matter. The film does not come across as cheap. Instead, it gives a fairly comprehensive (and believable) back-story for the character and demonstrates just how far she thinks ahead. Should Miramax adapt any of the comic stories or novels now, they've laid out the character's background nicely and won't have to spend much time on her "origin." I realize the words "Direct-to-Video" don't inspire confidence, but this film is well worth a look.

bensonmum2 My Name is Modesty is a low-budget film that tells the story of the origins of Modesty Blaise. It's not that the movie is terrible, it's just not what I was expecting or hoping for. While I've been aware of the Modesty Blaise character for years, I'm not overly familiar with the comic strips or the graphic novels, so I'm coming into this movie as something as an outsider. That may be part of the reason for my disappointment. I was expecting more action and more comedy. The film is dialogue driven. I suppose I was looking for something with a little more camp value. As it is, My Name is Modesty is a deathly serious film. There are very few, if any, "light" moments. The acting, at least from Alexandra Staden, is acceptable but nothing outstanding. As others have commented, she does appear a little too frail to be completely believable in the title role. What action scenes there are in My Name is Modesty are one of the films weakest points. I never bought into the notion that this woman could handle a band of trained killers.I really hope Quentin Tarantino goes ahead and makes the rumored a big budget film based on the Modesty Blaise character. I'm convinced the concept has a lot of potential and I would very much look forward to it.