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I recently completed whatever the column equivalent of a mini-series is with my “Best Overlooked Films Revisited” articles. My goal with those articles was to shed some light on great films that it seems like nobody but me saw, hopefully getting them a little more attention and some more fans. I’ve often considered myself a champion of the little guy (I always root for the #8 seeds in the NBA Playoffs) especially when the indieDavids tend to be so much better than the Hollywood Goliaths.

Now that I’ve caught all of you up on the great overlooked films released since 2004, we can start talking about movies that are currently being released in theaters and on DVD. Hopefully you’ve seen a few of the titles I’ve mentioned and you realize just how amazing these movies are. So while you’re drooling in anticipation for Iron Man 2 you can get the inside scoop on the great movies that aren’t getting talked about on Entertainment Tonight or, really, anywhere else… ever. Until now!

What would you do if you found out that your wife was cheating on you? Better question: what would you do if you were a Guy Ritchie-esque badass English gangster and you found out that your wife was cheating on you? You probably answered the first question with something along the lines of “cry and/or file for divorce,” which is a perfectly reasonable response and is part of the reason why your life isn’t a movie.

Your answer to the second question was most likely closer to “beat the crap out of my wife, then track down the guy who’s been sticking it to her, beat the crap out of him, then shove him in a closet and call all of my friends to help me torture him.” Congratulations, you’re the protagonist of 44 Inch Chest, the brutally violent, profanity-laden, and generally awesome drama now available on DVD.

Yes, comparisons to Guy Ritchie films and other such aggressive British gangster films are inevitable. After all, the screenplay was written by Louis Mellis and David Scinto, the duo who also scripted Sexy Beast, a classic entry into the genre. Clearly they have a penchant for angry Brits who start every other word with either “F” or “C.” But they also have a surprising amount of insight to offer, and that is what helps 44 Inch Chest rise above typical genre fare. Guy Ritchie’s films are damn entertaining but ultimately shallow; while 44 Inch Chest is actually saying something, even if it is using a lot of four-letter words to say it.

Ray Winstone stars as Colin Diamond, an unhappily married man with a whole lot of rage inside of him. When his wife admits that she has been having an affair, he absolutely loses it, and he and his buddies (an eclectic bunch that includes characters played by Ian McShane, Tom Wilkinson, and John Hurt) track down the object of his wife’s affections. It is the titular chest into which they shove him.

44 Inch Chest could have easily been a play; it is set almost entirely in one room, featuring a very small cast and many long, dialogue heavy scenes. And yes there is blood and torture and dialogue that would make a sailor faint, but the film has a level of depth that makes it fascinating. Rather than applauding the machismo of its characters, 44 Inch Chest is a critique of masculinity, how it affects the lives of its characters and how they rely on ancient notions of “being a man” to deal with their problems. Colin is unable to deal with his grief without resorting to violence, and we see in heartbreaking fantasy sequences and flashbacks that he does love his wife and he is heartbroken by her infidelity, but the only way he can express himself is through violence.

It is the performances that elevate this film to its high level. Ray Winstone gives, unqualified, the performance of his career. He takes a typical tough guy characters and allows us to see through the bravado into the character’s complexity and his weaknesses. When he shouts and throws punches he gives away how scared and hurt he is, which is what makes 44 Inch Chest such a powerful film.

The rest of the cast rounds out the film with a heaping combination of charm and glowers; Hurt shines as the angry Old Man Peanut and McShane is fantastic as the openly gay Meredith. Each man brings something to the film, but it is Winstone’s show and he owns it. If you expect 44 Inch Chest to be a typical “guy” film a la Snatch and Sexy Beast, you’re still going to have a good time, but you’ll be surprised by the depth you find.