Breakfast on Pluto -- Glam Rock + IRA = Good Stuff

Did you ever wonder what would happen if the director of The Crying Game decided to make Velvet Goldmine? I have to say, I never really did, but I think now I know. It would be Breakfast on Pluto, and it would be, among other things, fabulous.
The movie follows the adventures of Patrick "Kitten" Braden (Cillian Murphy) as he leaves Ireland to move to London and find his mommy, who left him at the doorstep of a church when he was born. Patrick is not like other boys. Oh no. He just wants to wear pretty clothes and have a good time. He doesn't understand why everything has to be so "serious, serious, serious" (Kitten's favorite phrase). He has the obligatory black female friend (see the British Queer as Folk, etc.) who loves him anyway and, oh yeah, his other friend who is in the IRA. That would be the Irish Republican Army. And you know what that means. Lots of shit blows up.
This movie was far more serious than I thought it was going to be, what with the gun running and the explosions and all. And it's not quite as pretty as Velvet Goldmine, though that is a tough thing to live up to. But if you like semi-political movies that are not trying to confuse you all the time, this might be for you. Cillian Murphy is really great as the fun-loving but still tortured Kitten. He just keeps getting better. 28 Days Later was my first exposure to him, and I was hooked. He had a small but excellent part in Girl With A Pearl Earring. He was genuinely creepy in Batman Begins. And though I'm sure Red Eye is a horrible film, he looked very convincingly scary in the trailer. But here...he just shines. I mean, he was nominated for a Golden Globe. Which isn't saying all that much, but for a movie like this, I think it means something.
Right, so...I liked it. I liked it a lot. It made me cry but, then, things blowing up tend to do that to me. If you want a little politics and history to go with your glam rock, or if you want a little glam rock to go with your IRA film, then this is the way to go. And if you ever meet Cillian Murphy, let him know that I think he should be the next indie film heartthrob. As if he isn't already.