An unemployed Brit vents his rage on unsuspecting strangers as he embarks on a nocturnal London odyssey.
Acting
Thewlis improvised most of this. Pure malignant charisma.
Writing
Leigh's process: months of character development, zero script.
Direction
London as purgatory. Every hallway feels haunted.
Director
Mike Leigh
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Thewlis and Leigh developed Johnny for months; Thewlis stayed in character so completely that crew members avoided him on set.
The 'Nostradamus' monologue accidentally predicted the end of the world in 1999, 9/11, and global warming—Leigh wrote it in 1992.
GB
